The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw Volume I Part 30

" 6, 'flatt'ring' for 'flattering.'

" 19-20. Our text (1652), followed by 1670, strangely confuses this couplet by printing,

'Hands full of harty labours; doe much, that more they may.'

TURNBULL, as usual, unintelligently repeats the blunder. Even in using the text of 1652 exceptionally, if only he found it confirmed by 1670, there was no vigilance. The reading of 1648 puts all right.

Line 23. Our text misspells 'ding.'

" 26. Misprinted 'bosome' in all the editions, and perpetuated by TURNBULL. Line 27 that follows is a break (unrhymed).

Line 33. 1648 misreads 'keep no noise.' G.

ON MR. GEORGE HERBERT'S BOOKE INt.i.tULED THE TEMPLE OF SACRED POEMS.

SENT TO A GENTLE-WOMAN.[47]

Know you, faire, on what you looke? 1 Divinest love lyes in this booke: Expecting fier from your faire eyes, To kindle this his sacrifice.

When your hands untie these strings, 5 Think, yo' have an angell by the wings; One that gladly would be nigh, To waite upon each morning sigh; To flutter in the balmy aire Of your well-perfumed praier; 10 These white plumes of his hee'l lend you, Which every day to Heaven will send you: To take acquaintance of each spheare, And all your smooth-fac'd kindred there.

And though HERBERT'S name doe owe 15 These devotions; fairest, know While I thus lay them on the shrine Of your white hand, they are mine.

A HYMN TO THE NAME AND HONOR OF THE ADMIRABLE SAINTE TERESA:

Fovndresse of the Reformation of the discalced Carmelites, both men and women; a Woman for angelicall heigth of speculation, for masculine courage of performance more then a woman: who yet a child, out-ran maturity, and durst plott a Martyrdome;

Misericordias Domini in aeternvm cantabo.

Le Vray portraict de Ste Terese, Fondatrice des Religieuses et Religieux reformez de l'ordre de N. Dame du mont Carmel: Decedee le 4e Octo. 1582. Canonisee le 12e Mars. 1622.[48]

THE HYMNE.

Loue, thou art absolute, sole lord 1 Of life and death. To proue the word Wee'l now appeal to none of all Those thy old souldiers, great and tall, Ripe men of martyrdom, that could reach down 5 With strong armes, their triumphant crown; Such as could with l.u.s.ty breath Speak lowd into the face of death, Their great Lord's glorious name, to none Of those whose spatious bosomes spread a throne 10 For Love at large to fill; spare blood and sweat: And see him take a priuate seat, Making his mansion in the mild And milky soul of a soft child.

Sca.r.s.e has she learn't to lisp the name 15 Of martyr; yet she thinks it shame Life should so long play with that breath Which spent can buy so braue a death.

She neuer vndertook to know What Death with Loue should haue to doe; 20 Nor has she e're yet vnderstood Why to show loue, she should shed blood, Yet though she cannot tell you why She can love, and she can dy.

Sca.r.s.e has she blood enough to make 25 A guilty sword blush for her sake; Yet has she a heart dares hope to proue How much lesse strong is Death then Love.

Be Loue but there; let poor six yeares Be pos'd with the maturest feares 30 Man trembles at, you straight shall find Love knowes no nonage, nor the mind; 'Tis love, not yeares or limbs that can Make the martyr, or the man.

Love touch't her heart, and lo it beates 35 High, and burnes with such braue heates; Such thirsts to dy, as dares drink vp A thousand cold deaths in one cup.

Good reason: for she breathes all fire; Her white brest heaues with strong desire 40 Of what she may with fruitles wishes Seek for amongst her mother's kisses.

Since 'tis not to be had at home She'l trauail to a martyrdom.

No home for hers confesses she 45 But where she may a martyr be.

She'l to the Moores; and trade with them _Moors_ For this vnualued diadem: She'l offer them her dearest breath, With Christ's name in't, in change for death: 50 She'l bargain with them; and will giue Them G.o.d; teach them how to liue In Him: or, if they this deny, For Him she'l teach them how to dy: So shall she leaue amongst them sown 55 Her Lord's blood; or at lest her own. _least_ Farewel then, all the World! adieu!

Teresa is no more for you.

Farewell, all pleasures, sports, and ioyes (Never till now esteemed toyes) 60 Farewell, what ever deare may bee, Mother's armes or father's knee: Farewell house, and farewell home!

She's for the Moores, and martyrdom.

Sweet, not so fast! lo thy fair Spouse 65 Whom thou seekst with so swift vowes; Calls thee back, and bidds thee come T'embrace a milder martyrdom.

Blest powres forbid, thy tender life Should bleed vpon a barbarous knife: 70 Or some base hand haue power to raze Thy brest's chast cabinet, and vncase A soul kept there so sweet: O no, Wise Heaun will neuer have it so.

Thou art Love's victime; and must dy 75 A death more mysticall and high: Into Loue's armes thou shalt let fall A still-suruiuing funerall.

His is the dart must make the death Whose stroke shall tast thy hallow'd breath; 80 A dart thrice dip't in that rich flame Which writes thy Spouse's radiant name Vpon the roof of Heau'n, where ay It s.h.i.+nes; and with a soueraign ray Beates bright vpon the burning faces 85 Of soules which in that Name's sweet graces Find euerlasting smiles: so rare, So spirituall, pure, and fair Must be th' immortall instrument Vpon whose choice point shall be sent 90 A life so lou'd: and that there be Fitt executioners for thee, The fair'st and first-born sons of fire Blest seraphim, shall leaue their quire, And turn Loue's souldiers, vpon thee 95 To exercise their archerie.

O how oft shalt thou complain Of a sweet and subtle pain: Of intolerable ioyes: Of a death, in which who dyes 100 Loues his death, and dyes again And would for euer so be slain.

And liues, and dyes; and knowes not why To liue, but that he thus may neuer leaue to dy.

How kindly will thy gentle heart 105 Kisse the sweetly-killing dart!

And close in his embraces keep Those delicious wounds, that weep Balsom to heal themselves with: thus When these thy deaths, so numerous 110 Shall all at last dy into one, And melt thy soul's sweet mansion; Like a soft lump of incense, hasted By too hott a fire, and wasted Into perfuming clouds, so fast 115 Shalt thou exhale to Heaun at last In a resoluing sigh, and then O what? Ask not the tongues of men; Angells cannot tell; suffice Thy selfe shall feel thine own full ioyes, 120 And hold them fast for euer there.

So soon as thou shalt first appear, The moon of maiden starrs, thy white Mistresse, attended by such bright Soules as thy s.h.i.+ning self, shall come 125 And in her first rankes make thee room; Where 'mongst her snowy family Immortall wellcomes wait for thee.

O what delight, when reueal'd Life shall stand, And teach thy lipps Heaun with His hand; 130 On which thou now maist to thy wishes Heap vp thy consecrated kisses.

What ioyes shall seize thy soul, when she, Bending her blessed eyes on Thee, (Those second smiles of Heau'n,) shall dart 135 Her mild rayes through Thy melting heart.

Angels, thy old friends, there shall greet thee Glad at their own home now to meet thee.

All thy good workes which went before And waited for thee, at the door, 140 Shall own thee there; and all in one Weaue a constellation Of crowns, with which the King thy Spouse Shall build vp thy triumphant browes.

All thy old woes shall now smile on thee, 145 And thy paines sitt bright vpon thee, All thy sorrows here shall s.h.i.+ne, All thy svfferings be diuine: Teares shall take comfort, and turn gemms And wrongs repent to diademms. 150 Eu'n thy death shall liue; and new- Dresse the soul that erst he slew.

Thy wounds shall blush to such bright scarres As keep account of the Lamb's warres.

Those rare workes where thou shalt leaue writt 155 Loue's n.o.ble history, with witt Taught thee by none but Him, while here They feed our soules, shall clothe thine there.

Each heaunly word, by whose hid flame Our hard hearts shall strike fire, the same 160 Shall flourish on thy browes, and be Both fire to vs and flame to thee; Whose light shall liue bright in thy face By glory, in our hearts by grace.

Thou shalt look round about, and see 165 Thousands of crown'd soules throng to be Themselues thy crown: sons of thy vowes The virgin-births with which thy soueraign Spouse Made fruitfull thy fair soul. Goe now And with them all about thee, bow 170 To Him; put on (Hee'l say) put on (My rosy loue) that thy rich zone Sparkling with the sacred flames Of thousand soules, whose happy names Heau'n keep vpon thy score: (Thy bright 175 Life brought them first to kisse the light, That kindled them to starrs,) and so Thou with the Lamb, thy Lord, shalt goe, And whereso'ere He setts His white Stepps, walk with Him those wayes of light, 180 Which who in death would liue to see, Must learn in life to dy like thee.

NOTES AND ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.

The original edition (1646) has this t.i.tle, 'In memory of the Vertuous and Learned Lady Madre de Teresa, that sought an early Martyrdome;' and so also in 1648. 1670 agrees with 1652; only the Latin line above the portrait and the French verses are omitted.

The text of 1646 furnishes a number of variations corrective in part of all the subsequent editions. These are recorded below. 1648 agrees substantially with 1652: but a few unimportant readings peculiar to it are also given in these Notes.

_Various readings from 1646 edition._

Line 3, 'Wee need to goe to none of all.'

" 4, 'stout' for 'great.'

" 5, 'ripe and full growne.'

" 8, 'unto' for 'into;' the latter preferable.

" 10, 'Of those whose large b.r.e.a.s.t.s built a throne.'

" 11-13,

'For Love their Lord, glorious and great Weel see Him take a private seat, And make ...'

I have hesitated whether this ought not to have been adopted as our text; but it is a characteristic of CRASHAW to introduce abruptly long and short lines as in our text, and to carry a thought or metaphor through a number of lines.