I SAW Eternity the other night | |
Like a great Ring of pure and endless light, | |
All calm, as it was bright, | |
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years | |
Drivn by the spheres | 5 |
Like a vast shadow movd, In which the world | |
And all her train were hurld; | |
The doting Lover in his queintest strain | |
Did their Complain, | |
Neer him, his Lute, his fancy, and his flights, | 10 |
Wits sour delights, | |
With gloves, and knots the silly snares of pleasure | |
Yet his dear Treasure | |
All scatterd lay, while he his eys did pour | |
Upon a flowr. | 15 |
|
The darksome States-man hung with weights and woe | |
Like a thick midnight-fog movd there so slow | |
He did nor stay, nor go; | |
Condemning thoughts (like sad Ecclipses) scowl | |
Upon his soul, | 20 |
And Clouds of crying witnesses without | |
Pursued him with one shout. | |
Yet digd the Mole, and lest his ways be found | |
Workt under ground, | |
Where he did Clutch his prey, but one did see | 25 |
That policie, | |
Churches and altars fed him, Perjuries | |
Were gnats and flies, | |
It raind about him bloud and tears, but he | |
Drank them as free. | 30 |
|
The fearfull miser on a heap of rust | |
Sate pining all his life there, did scarce trust | |
His own hands with the dust, | |
Yet would not place one peece above, but lives | |
In feare of theeves. | 35 |
Thousands there were as frantick as himself | |
And hugd each one his pelf, | |
The down-right Epicure placd heavn in sense | |
And scornd pretence | |
While others slipt into a wide Excesse | 40 |
Said little lesse; | |
The weaker sort slight, triviall wares Inslave | |
Who think them brave, | |
And poor, despised truth sate Counting by | |
Their victory. | 45 |
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Yet some, who all this while did weep and sing, | |
And sing, and weep, soard up into the Ring, | |
But most would use no wing. | |
O fools (said I,) thus to prefer dark night | |
Before true light, | 50 |
To live in grots, and caves, and hate the day | |
Because it shews the way, | |
The way which from this dead and dark abode | |
Leads up to God, | |
A way where you might tread the Sun, and be | 55 |
More bright than he. | |
But as I did their madnes so discusse | |
One whisperd thus, | |
This Ring the Bride-groome did for none provide | |
But for his bride. | 60 |