[ { "title": "The True Christians", "author": "Henry Vaughan", "lines": [ "So stick up ivy and the bays,", "And then restore the heathen ways.", "Green will remind you of the spring,", "Though this great day denies the thing.", "And mortifies the earth and all", "But your wild revels, and loose hall.", "Could you wear flowers, and roses strow", "Blushing upon your breasts' warm snow,", "That very dress your lightness will", "Rebuke, and wither at the ill.", "The brightness of this day we owe", "Not unto music, masque, nor show:", "Nor gallant furniture, nor plate;", "But to the manger's mean estate.", "His life while here, as well as birth,", "Was but a check to pomp and mirth;", "And all man's greatness you may see", "Condemned by His humility.", "Then leave your open house and noise,", "To welcome Him with holy joys,", "And the poor shepherd's watchfulness:", "Whom light and hymns from heaven did bless.", "What you abound with, cast abroad", "To those that want, and ease your load.", "Who empties thus, will bring more in;", "But riot is both loss and sin.", "Dress finely what comes not in sight,", "And then you keep your Christmas right." ], "linecount": "28" }, { "title": "The Water-Fall", "author": "Henry Vaughan", "lines": [ "1 With what deep murmurs through time's silent stealth", "2 Doth thy transparent, cool, and wat'ry wealth", "3 Here flowing fall,", "4 And chide, and call,", "5 As if his liquid, loose retinue stay'd", "6 Ling'ring, and were of this steep place afraid;", "7 The common pass", "8 Where, clear as glass,", "9 All must descend", "10 Not to an end,", "11 But quicken'd by this deep and rocky grave,", "12 Rise to a longer course more bright and brave.", "", "13 Dear stream! dear bank, where often I", "14 Have sate and pleas'd my pensive eye,", "15 Why, since each drop of thy quick store", "16 Runs thither whence it flow'd before,", "17 Should poor souls fear a shade or night,", "18 Who came, sure, from a sea of light?", "19 Or since those drops are all sent back", "20 So sure to thee, that none doth lack,", "21 Why should frail flesh doubt any more", "22 That what God takes, he'll not restore?", "", "23 O useful element and clear!", "24 My sacred wash and cleanser here,", "25 My first consigner unto those", "26 Fountains of life where the Lamb goes!", "27 What sublime truths and wholesome themes", "28 Lodge in thy mystical deep streams!", "29 Such as dull man can never find", "30 Unless that Spirit lead his mind", "31 Which first upon thy face did move,", "32 And hatch'd all with his quick'ning love.", "33 As this loud brook's incessant fall", "34 In streaming rings restagnates all,", "35 Which reach by course the bank, and then", "36 Are no more seen, just so pass men.", "37 O my invisible estate,", "38 My glorious liberty, still late!", "39 Thou art the channel my soul seeks,", "40 Not this with cataracts and creeks." ], "linecount": "40" }, { "title": "Retirement", "author": "Henry Vaughan", "lines": [ "Fresh fields and woods! the Earth's fair face,", "God's foot-stool, and man's dwelling-place.", "I ask not why the first Believer", "Did love to be a country liver?", "Who to secure pious content", "Did pitch by groves and wells his tent;", "Where he might view the boundless sky,", "And all those glorious lights on high;", "With flying meteors, mists and show'rs,", "Subjected hills, trees, meads and flow'rs;", "And ev'ry minute bless the King", "And wise Creator of each thing.", "I ask not why he did remove", "To happy Mamre's holy grove,", "Leaving the cities of the plain", "To Lot and his successless train?", "All various lusts in cities still", "Are found; they are the thrones of ill;", "The dismal sinks, where blood is spill'd,", "Cages with much uncleanness fill'd.", "But rural shades are the sweet fense", "Of piety and innocence.", "They are the Meek's calm region, where", "Angels descend and rule the sphere,", "Where heaven lies leiger, and the dove", "Duly as dew, comes from above.", "If Eden be on Earth at all,", "'Tis that, which we the country call." ], "linecount": "28" }, { "title": "Upon the Priory Grove, His Usual Retirement", "author": "Henry Vaughan", "lines": [ "Hail sacred shades! cool, leavy House!", "Chaste treasurer of all my vows,", "And wealth! on whose soft bosom laid", "My love's fair steps I first betrayed:", "Henceforth no melancholy flight,", "No sad wing, or hoarse bird of night,", "Disturb this air, no fatal throat", "Of raven, or owl, awake the note", "Of our laid echo, no voice dwell", "Within these leaves, but Philomel.", "The poisonous ivy here no more", "His false twists on the oak shall score,", "Only the woodbine here may twine", "As th'emblem of her love and mine;", "Th'amorous sun shall here convey", "His best beams, in thy shades to play;", "The active air, the gentlest showers", "Shall from his wings rain on thy flowers;", "And the moon from her dewy locks", "Shall deck thee with her brightest drops:", "What ever can a fancy move,", "Or feed the eye; be on this Grove;", "And when at last the winds and tears", "Of Heaven, with the consuming years,", "Shall these green curls bring to decay,", "And clothe thee in an aged gray:", "(If ought a lover can foresee;", "Or if we poets, prophets be)", "From hence transplant'd, thou shalt stand", "A fresh Grove in th'Elysian land;", "Where (most blest pair!) as here on earth", "Thou first didst eye our growth and birth;", "So there again, thou'lt see us move", "In our first innocence, and love:", "And in thy shades, as now, so then,", "We'll kiss, and smile, and walk again." ], "linecount": "36" }, { "title": "Peace", "author": "Henry Vaughan", "lines": [ "1 My Soul, there is a country", "2 Afar beyond the stars,", "3 Where stands a winged sentry", "4 All skillful in the wars;", "5 There, above noise and danger", "6 Sweet Peace sits, crown'd with smiles,", "7 And One born in a manger", "8 Commands the beauteous files.", "9 He is thy gracious friend", "10 And (O my Soul awake!)", "11 Did in pure love descend,", "12 To die here for thy sake.", "13 If thou canst get but thither,", "14 There grows the flow'r of peace,", "15 The rose that cannot wither,", "16 Thy fortress, and thy ease.", "17 Leave then thy foolish ranges,", "18 For none can thee secure,", "19 But One, who never changes,", "20 Thy God, thy life, thy cure." ], "linecount": "20" }, { "title": "The Star", "author": "Henry Vaughan", "lines": [ "1 Whatever 'tis, whose beauty here below", "2 Attracts thee thus and makes thee stream and flow,", "3 And wind and curl, and wink and smile,", "4 Shifting thy gate and guile;", "", "5 Though thy close commerce nought at all imbars", "6 My present search, for eagles eye not stars,", "7 And still the lesser by the best", "8 And highest good is blest;", "", "9 Yet, seeing all things that subsist and be,", "10 Have their commissions from divinity,", "11 And teach us duty, I will see", "12 What man may learn from thee.", "", "13 First, I am sure, the subject so respected", "14 Is well dispos'd, for bodies once infected,", "15 Deprav'd, or dead, can have with thee", "16 No hold, nor sympathy.", "", "17 Next, there's in it a restless, pure desire", "18 And longing for thy bright and vital fire,", "19 Desire that never will be quench'd,", "20 Nor can be writh'd, nor wrench'd.", "", "21 These are the magnets which so strongly move", "22 And work all night upon thy light and love,", "23 As beauteous shapes, we know not why,", "24 Command and guide the eye.", "", "25 For where desire, celestial, pure desire", "26 Hath taken root, and grows, and doth not tire,", "27 There God a commerce states, and sheds", "28 His secret on their heads.", "", "29 This is the heart he craves, and who so will", "30 But give it him, and grudge not, he shall feel", "31 That God is true, as herbs unseen", "32 Put on their youth and green." ], "linecount": "32" } ]