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| COME, 1 sharpest greefes, imploy repentant eies; | |
| Taske them as bitter drops as ere were shed: | |
| Send teares to earth and sighs vp to the skies; | |
| This instant houre a soule and sorrowe’s wed. | |
| Sweet tears and sighs, at dolour’s deere requests, | 5 |
| Come you and yours, my hart’s right welcome guests. | |
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| Let eies become the fountaines of my teares, | |
| And let my teares be flouds to moist my heart; | |
| And let my heart, ful of repentant feares, | |
| By teares and sorrowes turne a true conuert: | 10 |
| At base obiections of as base a maid | |
| With oths and curses I haue Christ denai’d. | |
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| The watchfull bird that centinels the morne, | |
| Shrill herald to Aurorae’s earlie rising, | |
| That oft proclaimes the day ere day be borne, | 15 |
| Distinguisher from pitchd-fac’d night’s disguising, | |
| Surceas’d to heed why nature taught him crow, | |
| And did exclaime on me for sinning so. | |
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| O haughtie vaunts, resembling skie-bred thunder, | |
| How farre remote your actions stand aloofe! | 20 |
| A coward heart kept words and deeds asunder, | |
| Stout champion brags are quailed in the proofe. | |
| Weake woman’s breath hath ouerthrowne a rocke, | |
| And humane pride is daunted by a cocke. | |
| |
| Harken this bird’s rebuke; and harkning, feare: | 25 |
| False periur’d tongue, now are thy boastings tride; | |
| Christ hardest fortune’s part thou vowd’st to beare, | |
| But loe! a cocke doth crow it, thou hast lide: | |
| Thy deedlesse words, words vnconfirmd by truth, | |
| Haue turn’d mine eies to teares, my heart to ruth. | 30 |
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| The daie’s approch, that whilome nature taskes, | |
| He chaunted not, nor ment blacke night’s descending; | |
| But foule-fac’d sinne from scarffing words vnmaskes: | |
| Plie, bitter teares, your suite, for wrath’s suspending; | |
| Eies, that when Christ sweat blood, secure did slumber, | 35 |
| Now shed more tears then truthles tong can number. | |
| |
| Lament, my soule, thy state; a state distrest; | |
| Thou art reuolt from true felicitie: | |
| Sigh sorrowes forth: let greefes weepe out the rest; | |
| Weepe, wretched man, repleat with miserie: | 40 |
| Let neuer eies giue cheekes a space to drie, | |
| Till teares regaine lost grace in mercie’s eie. | |
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| Weepe saltest brinish teares, the more the sweeter: | |
| Weepe satisfaction, sinne’s repentant soule; | |
| Weepe, fraile disciple, woman-daunted Peter; | 45 |
| Weepe, weakling, subiect to a cocke’s controule; | |
| Weepe Christ’s deniall, worst of all thy crimes, | |
| And ouerweepe each teare tenne thousand times. | |
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| O God, from whom all graces doe abound, | |
| For thy assisting aid I humblie call; | 50 |
| Lend mercie’s hand to raise from sinking ground, | |
| And beeing on foot, protect against like fall. | |
| Thy fauours, Lord, I truly doe implore, | |
| Rising to stand, standing to fall no more. | |
