1Why doth pale Phoebe
thus her beauty shroud? 2Why is her face enveloped in a cloud?
3Is’t
’cause her borrowed luster’s in the wane, 4Or ’cause Aurora’s
purple curtain’s drawn? 5’Tis so: look how she, blushing, doth arise,
6Chasing sad darkness with her orient
eyes; 7And being attended with the flying Hours
, 8She shakes her dewy curls upon these flowers,
9Filling with honeydew
each gold-enamelled cup, 10Whence bees their nectar and ambrosia
sup. 11Thus do these virgins
spend the toilsome day, 12And, as I solely
walk, sting my delay. 13Thus (O, my God), each small, despised insect
14Buzz in my ears, that I Thy laws neglect.
15In doing what they’re made for, every fly
16Fulfills Thy will; (woe’s me) so do not I.
17I was created to set forth Thy praise,
18Yet, like a wretch, I fool away my days
19In fruitless grief, or moiling in the earth
, 20Forgetting my poor soul’s celestial birth.
21I know I have a spark of heavenly fire
22Within my breast; else what moves this desire?
23But O, my soul’s so clogged with flesh and bones
24I heaven can reach with nought but sighs and groans.
25My slavish soul, shake off this dirt and dust,
26Put off thy folly, and worse than folly, lust,
27And through all the clouds and sky make way;
28There, there is light outshines meridian
day. 29Nay, that invisible and glorious light
30Outshines the sun more than the sun doth night.
31Ay me! O whither
, whither dost thou fly? 32Before thou canst enjoy this
, thou must die. 33Repentant tears and dust must clear thy sight
34Ere
thou canst look on that refulgent
light. 35To sleep in grave
, contented thou must be; 36Thy busy fancy
, too, must sleep with thee. 37Yet though my body into dust doth turn,
38An honest grave will be thy faithful urn;
39But my enfranchised
soul to heaven shall go. 40My dust, the while
, shall sweetly sleep below. 41Free shall I be from dreams and horrid frights;
42O welcome, O thrice welcome, such a night.
43But at that grand and dread
, yet blessed assize
, 44The trump shall sound and then the dead shall rise
. 45Then shall I be united with my spirit,
46Where we eternal glory shall inherit.
47Then, who dares ask, whenas
I shine in glory, 48How I have spent my frail and mortal story
? 49When we have drunk not Lethe, but Christ’s pure blood
, 50All shall forgotten be but what is good;
51All shall be known that will increase our joy;
52Nothing remembered that will cause annoy.