Poetical Works | Page 8

wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born,

Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages
once did sing,
That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with
his Father work us a perpetual peace.
II
That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming
blaze of Majesty,
Wherwith he wont at Heav'ns high Councel-Table,
10 To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside; and here with us to
be,
Forsook the Courts of everlasting Day,
And chose with us a
darksom House of mortal Clay.
III
Say Heav'nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the
Infant God?
Hast thou no vers, no hymn, or solemn strein,
To
welcom him to this his new abode,
Now while the Heav'n by the Suns
team untrod,
Hath took no print of the approching light, 20 And all
the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?

IV
See how from far upon the Eastern rode
The Star-led Wisards haste
with odours sweet,
O run, prevent them with thy humble ode,
And
lay it lowly at his blessed feet;
Have thou the honour first, thy Lord to
greet,
And joyn thy voice unto the Angel Quire,
>From out his
secret Altar toucht with hallow'd fire.
The Hymn.
I
IT was the Winter wilde,
While the Heav'n-born-childe, 30 All
meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies;
Nature in aw to him
Had
doff't her gawdy trim,
With her great Master so to sympathize:
It
was no season then for her
To wanton with the Sun her lusty
Paramour.
II
Only with speeches fair
She woo'd the gentle Air
To hide her guilty
front with innocent Snow,
And on her naked shame, 40 Pollute with
sinfull blame,
The Saintly Vail of Maiden white to throw,

Confounded, that her Makers eyes
Should look so near upon her foul
deformities.
III
But he her fears to cease,
Sent down the meek-eyd Peace,
She
crown'd with Olive green, came softly sliding
Down through the
turning sphear
His ready Harbinger,
With Turtle wing the amorous
clouds dividing, 50 And waving wide her mirtle wand,
She strikes a
universall Peace through Sea and Land.
IV

No War, or Battails sound
Was heard the World around,
The idle
spear and shield were high up hung;
The hooked Chariot stood

Unstain'd with hostile blood,
The Trumpet spake not to the armed
throng,
And Kings sate still with awfull eye,
As if they surely knew
their sovran Lord was by. 60
V
But peacefull was the night
Wherin the Prince of light
His raign of
peace upon the earth began:
The Windes with wonder whist,

Smoothly the waters kist,
Whispering new joyes to the milde Ocean,

Who now hath quite forgot to rave,
While Birds of Calm sit
brooding on the charmed wave.
VI
The Stars with deep amaze
Stand fit in steadfast gaze, 70 Bending
one way their pretious influence,
And will not take their flight,
For
all the morning light,
Or Lucifer that often warned them thence;
But
in their glimmering Orbs did glow,
Until their Lord himself bespake,
and bid them go.
VII
And though the shady gloom
Had given day her room,
The Sun
himself with-held his wonted speed,
And hid his head for shame, 80
As his inferior flame,
The new enlightened world no more should
need;
He saw a greater Sun appear
Then his bright Throne, or
burning Axletree could bear.
VIII
The Shepherds on the Lawn,
Or ere the point of dawn,
Sate simply
chatting in a rustic row;
Full little thought they than,
That the
mighty Pan
Was kindly com to live with them below; 90 Perhaps
their loves, or els their sheep,
Was all that did their silly thoughts so

busie keep.
IX
When such Musick sweet
Their hearts and ears did greet,
As never
was by mortal finger strook,
Divinely-warbled voice
Answering the
stringed noise,
As all their souls in blisfull rapture took:
The Air
such pleasure loth to lose,
With thousand echo's still prolongs each
heav'nly close. 100
X
Nature that heard such sound
Beneath the hollow round
of
Cynthia's seat the Airy region thrilling,
Now was almost won
To
think her part was don
And that her raign had here its last fulfilling;

She knew such harmony alone
Could hold all Heav'n and Earth in
happier union.
XI
At last surrounds their sight
A globe of circular light, 110 That with
long beams the shame faced night arrayed
The helmed Cherubim

And sworded Seraphim,
Are seen in glittering ranks with wings
displaid,
Harping in loud and solemn quire,
With unexpressive
notes to Heav'ns new-born Heir.
XII
Such Musick (as 'tis said)
Before was never made,
But when of old
the sons of morning sung,
While the Creator Great
His
constellations set, 120 And the well-ballanc't world on hinges hung,

And cast the dark foundations deep,
And bid the weltring waves their
oozy channel keep.
XIII

Ring out ye Crystall sphears,
Once bless our human ears,
(If ye
have power to touch our senses so)
And let your silver chime
Move
in melodious time;
And let the Base of Heav'ns deep Organ blow, 130
And with your ninefold harmony
Make up full consort to th'Angelike
symphony.
XIV
For if such holy Song
Enwrap our fancy long,
Time will run back,
and fetch the age of gold,
And speckl'd vanity
Will sicken soon and
die,
And leprous sin will melt from earthly mould,
And Hell it self
will