Behold the father, is his daughters son: The bird that built the nest, is hatched therein: The old of years, an hour hath not out run: Eternal life, to live doth now begin. The word is dumb: the mirth of heaven doth weep: Might feeble is: and force doth faintly creep. O dying souls, behold your living spring: O dazzled eyes, behold your son of grace: Dull ears, attend what word this word doth bring: Up heavy hearts: with joy your joy embrace. From death, from dark, from deafness, from despairs: This life, this light, this word, this joy repairs. Gift better than himself, God doth not know: Gift better than his God, no man can see: This gift doth here the giver given bestow: Gift to this gift let each receiver be. God is my gift, himself he freely gave me: Gods gift am I, and none but God shall have me. Man altered was by sin from man to beast: Beasts' food is hay, hay is all mortal flesh: Now God is flesh, and lies in Manger pressed: As hay, the brutest sinner to refresh. O happy field wherein this fodder grew, Whose taste, doth us from beasts to men renew. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MY SISTER'S SLEEP by DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI SONNET: 9. TO THE RIVER LODON by THOMAS WARTON THE YOUNGER ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA by PHILLIS WHEATLEY THANKS BE TO GOD by JANIE ALFORD HYMN IX by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD NATURE DISPLAYED by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN DENNER'S OLD WOMAN by VINCENT BOURNE |