The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I

Name: The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I
Author: Crashaw, Richard

Crashaw, Richard

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

On their bold brests, about the world they bore Thee,
    And to the teeth of Hell stood vp to teach Thee;
    In center of their inmost soules, they wore Thee,
    Where rackes and torments striu'd, in vain, to reach Thee. 200
          Little, alas, thought they
    Who tore the fair brests of Thy freinds,
          Their fury but made way
    For Thee, and seru'd them in Thy glorious ends.
    What did their weapons but with wider pores               205
    Inlarge Thy flaming-brested louers,
          More freely to transpire
          That impatient fire,
    The heart that hides Thee hardly couers?
    What did their weapons but sett wide the doores            210
    For Thee? fair, purple doores, of Loue's deuising;
    The ruby windowes which inricht the East
    Of Thy so oft-repeated rising!
    Each wound of theirs was Thy new morning,
    And reinthron'd Thee in Thy rosy nest,                    215
    With blush of Thine Own blood Thy day adorning:
    It was the witt of Loue oreflowd the bounds
    Of Wrath, and made Thee way through all those wovnds.
    Wellcome, dear, all-adorèd Name!
          For sure there is no knee                           220
          That knowes not Thee:
    Or, if there be such sonns of shame,
          Alas! what will they doe
          When stubborn rocks shall bow
    And hills hang down their heaun-saluting heads            225
          To seek for humble beds
    Of dust, where in the bashfull shades of Night
    Next to their own low Nothing, they may ly,
    And couch before the dazeling light of Thy dread majesty.
    They that by Loue's mild dictate now                      230
          Will not adore Thee,
    Shall then, with just confusion bow
          And break before Thee.


NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The title in 1648 'Steps' is simply 'On the name of Jesus.' In 1670 it
is 'To the Name above every Name, the Name of Jesus, a Hymn,' and
throughout differs from our text (1652) only in usual modernisation of
orthography. The text of 1648 yields these readings:

  Line  7, 'the bright.'

    "  42, 'of th's.'

    "  49, 'Into a habit fit of self tun'd Harmonie.'

    "  79, 'you're.'

    "  92, 'aloud.'

    " 105, 'Seraphins.'

    " 106, 'loyall' for 'joyfull.'

    " 132, 'heavens.'

    " 182  spells 'sillabell.'

    " 187, 'The soules tastes thee takes from thence.'

    " 202, 'bare.'

    " 204, 'ware.'

    " 209, 'For Thee: And serv'd therein thy glorious ends.'

See our Essay for critical remarks on the measure and rhythm of this
poem as printed in our text (1652). G.




PSALME XXIII.[34]

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume ICrashaw, Richard

General

The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I

Crashaw, Richard

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

On their bold brests, about the world they bore Thee,
    And to the teeth of Hell stood vp to teach Thee;
    In center of their inmost soules, they wore Thee,
    Where rackes and torments striu'd, in vain, to reach Thee. 200
          Little, alas, thought they
    Who tore the fair brests of Thy freinds,
          Their fury but made way
    For Thee, and seru'd them in Thy glorious ends.
    What did their weapons but with wider pores               205
    Inlarge Thy flaming-brested louers,
          More freely to transpire
          That impatient fire,
    The heart that hides Thee hardly couers?
    What did their weapons but sett wide the doores            210
    For Thee? fair, purple doores, of Loue's deuising;
    The ruby windowes which inricht the East
    Of Thy so oft-repeated rising!
    Each wound of theirs was Thy new morning,
    And reinthron'd Thee in Thy rosy nest,                    215
    With blush of Thine Own blood Thy day adorning:
    It was the witt of Loue oreflowd the bounds
    Of Wrath, and made Thee way through all those wovnds.
    Wellcome, dear, all-adorèd Name!
          For sure there is no knee                           220
          That knowes not Thee:
    Or, if there be such sonns of shame,
          Alas! what will they doe
          When stubborn rocks shall bow
    And hills hang down their heaun-saluting heads            225
          To seek for humble beds
    Of dust, where in the bashfull shades of Night
    Next to their own low Nothing, they may ly,
    And couch before the dazeling light of Thy dread majesty.
    They that by Loue's mild dictate now                      230
          Will not adore Thee,
    Shall then, with just confusion bow
          And break before Thee.


NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The title in 1648 'Steps' is simply 'On the name of Jesus.' In 1670 it
is 'To the Name above every Name, the Name of Jesus, a Hymn,' and
throughout differs from our text (1652) only in usual modernisation of
orthography. The text of 1648 yields these readings:

  Line  7, 'the bright.'

    "  42, 'of th's.'

    "  49, 'Into a habit fit of self tun'd Harmonie.'

    "  79, 'you're.'

    "  92, 'aloud.'

    " 105, 'Seraphins.'

    " 106, 'loyall' for 'joyfull.'

    " 132, 'heavens.'

    " 182  spells 'sillabell.'

    " 187, 'The soules tastes thee takes from thence.'

    " 202, 'bare.'

    " 204, 'ware.'

    " 209, 'For Thee: And serv'd therein thy glorious ends.'

See our Essay for critical remarks on the measure and rhythm of this
poem as printed in our text (1652). G.




PSALME XXIII.[34]

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I

The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I

No reviews yet