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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PREPARATORY MEDITATIONS, 2D SERIES: 160 by EDWARD TAYLOR

Poet Analysis

First Line: MY LORD MY LOVE I WANT WORDS FIT FOR THEE
Last Line: TO SACRIFICE TO THEE ON MY HARPS SWEET STRING.
Subject(s): PURITANS IN LITERATURE;
My Lord my Love I want words fit for thee.
And if't were otherwise, affections want
To animate the words that they might bee
A mantle to send praise to praises camp
But want I word and Spirits for the Same;
If I omit thy praise I sure have blame.

Lord make my heart in mee an humble thing
The humble hearts thy Habitation bright.
Its fatted then by thee and thou therein
Enrich it will with thy Celestiall Light.
Thyselfe, dear Lord, shall be its gloryous Shine
Wherewith it shall adorned be and fine.

I being thus, become thy Vallie low.
O plant thyselfe my lilly flower there.
Sure then my lilly in it up will grow
In beauty. And its fragrancy will fleer.
My heart thy spirituall valie all divine
Thyselfe the lilly of the Vally thine.

I am thy Vally where thy lilly grows
Thou my White and Red blesst lilly fresh;
Thy Active and thy Passive 'bedience do
Hold out Active and Passive Right'ousness.
Pure White and Red making a lovely grace,
Present thee to our Love to hug and 'brace.

The Medicinall Virtue of the lilly speake
That thou my Lilly are Physician who
Healst all Diseased Souls both small and greate.
None dy of any Spirituall Sores that to thee goe.
The Vally lilly then doth Emblemize
Thy fitness for thy Mediatoriall guise.

Shall Heaven itselfe with all its glorious flowers
Stick them as feathers in thy Cap my king
And in this glory bow to plant in, power
Them as a lilly flower my Vally in,
Which is not onely deepe but durty too,
What wonders this? What praise and thanks hence due?

But oh! alas my pin box is too small
To hold praise meet for such praiseworthiness.
The Angells and Archangells in Gods hall
Mee your Shoshannim tend then to adress
My Lord with praises bright in highest tunes
And though they are Stuttings they are sweet perfumes.

If thou the Lilly of my Vally bee
My Vally shall then glorious be and shine
Allthough it be a barren Soile for thee:
The Lilly of my Vally is divine.
I'le borrow heavenly praise for thee my king
To sacrifice to thee on my Harps sweet string.



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