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Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

His Wish to God


              1I would to God, that mine old age might have
              2Before my last, but here a living grave;
              3Some one poor almshouse, there to lie, or stir,
              4Ghost-like, as in my meaner sepulchre;
              5A little piggin, and a pipkin by,
              6To hold things fitting my necessity,
              7Which, rightly us'd, both in their time and place,
              8Might me excite to fore, and after, grace.
              9Thy cross, my Christ, fix'd 'fore mine eyes should be,
            10Not to adore that, but to worship Thee.
            11So here the remnant of my days I'd spend,
            12Reading Thy bible, and my book; so end.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Robert Herrick, Hesperides (London: for John Williams and F. Eglesfield to be sold by Thomas Hunt, 1648), of which a section called "His Noble Numbers: or, his Pious Pieces" has a separate title-page dated 1647. Facs. edn. Menston: Scolar, 1969. PR 3512 H4 1648A ROBA
First publication date: 1648
RPO poem editor: N. J. Endicott
RP edition: 3RP 1.207.
Recent editing: 4:2002/2/6

Form: Couplets

Other poems by Robert Herrick

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