THE Lord hath set me o'er the kings of earth, To fasten and uproot, to build and mar; Not by mine own fond will: else never war Had still'd in Anathoth the voice of mirth, Nor from my native tribe swept bower and hearth; Ne'er had the light of Judah's royal star Fail'd in mid heaven, nor trampling steed and car Ceas'd from the courts that saw Josiah's birth. "'Tis not in me to give or take away, But He who guides the thunder-peals on high, He tunes my voice, the tones of His deep sway Faintly to echo in the nether sky. Therefore I bid earth's glories set or shine, And it is so; my words are sacraments divine." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CRUEL MISTRESS by THOMAS CAREW ANTONY AND [OR, TO] CLEOPATRA by WILLIAM HAINES LYTLE THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT by JONATHAN SWIFT LEE TO THE REAR [MAY 12, 1864] by JOHN REUBEN THOMPSON A DEDICATION TO ATHENE by AULUS LICINIUS ARCHIAS TO A BUNCH OF GRAPES; RIPENING IN MY WINDOW by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES |