A Song to David
A Song to David
Original Text
Christopher Smart, A Song to David, 1763 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1926). PR 3687 S7S6 1926 ROBA.
427 Sweet is the dew that falls betimes,
428And drops upon the leafy limes;
429 Sweet Hermon's fragrant air:
430Sweet is the lily's silver bell,
431And sweet the wakeful tapers smell
432 That watch for early pray'r.
433 Sweet the young nurse with love intense,
434Which smiles o'er sleeping innocence;
435 Sweet when the lost arrive:
436Sweet the musician's ardour beats,
437While his vague mind's in quest of sweets,
438 The choicest flow'rs to hive.
439 Sweeter in all the strains of love,
440The language of thy turtle dove,
441 Pair'd to thy swelling chord;
442Sweeter with ev'ry grace endu'd,
443The glory of thy gratitude,
444 Respir'd unto the Lord.
445 Strong is the horse upon his speed;
446Strong in pursuit the rapid glede,
447 Which makes at once his game:
448Strong the tall ostrich on the ground;
449Strong thro' the turbulent profound
450 Shoots xiphias to his aim.
451 Strong is the lion--like a coal
452His eye-ball--like a bastion's mole
453 His chest against the foes:
454Strong, the gier-eagle on his sail,
455Strong against tide, th' enormous whale
456 Emerges as he goes.
457 But stronger still, in earth and air,
458And in the sea, the man of pray'r;
459 And far beneath the tide;
460And in the seat to faith assign'd,
461Where ask is have, where seek is find,
462Where knock is open wide.
463 Beauteous the fleet before the gale;
464Beauteous the multitudes in mail,
465 Rank'd arms and crested heads:
466Beauteous the garden's umbrage mild,
467Walk, water, meditated wild,
468 And all the bloomy beds.
469 Beauteous the moon full on the lawn;
470And beauteous, when the veil's withdrawn,
471 The virgin to her spouse:
472Beauteous the temple deck'd and fill'd,
473When to the heav'n of heav'ns they build
474 Their heart-directed vows.
475 Beauteous, yea beauteous more than these,
476The shepherd king upon his knees,
477 For his momentous trust;
478With wish of infinite conceit,
479For man, beast, mute, the small and great,
480 And prostrate dust to dust.
481 Precious the bounteous widow's mite;
482And precious, for extreme delight,
483 The largess from the churl:
484Precious the ruby's blushing blaze,
485And alba's blest imperial rays,
486 And pure cerulean pearl.
487 Precious the penitential tear;
488And precious is the sigh sincere,
489 Acceptable to God:
490And precious are the winning flow'rs,
491In gladsome Israel's feast of bow'rs,
492 Bound on the hallow'd sod.
493 More precious that diviner part
494Of David, ev'n the Lord's own heart,
495 Great, beautiful, and new:
496In all things where it was intent,
497In all extremes, in each event,
498 Proof--answ'ring true to true.
499 Glorious the sun in mid career;
500Glorious th' assembled fires appear;
501 Glorious the comet's train:
502Glorious the trumpet and alarm;
503Glorious th' almighty stretch'd-out arm;
504 Glorious th' enraptur'd main:
505 Glorious the northern lights a-stream;
506Glorious the song, when God's the theme;
507 Glorious the thunder's roar:
508Glorious hosanna from the den;
509Glorious the catholic amen;
510 Glorious the martyr's gore:
511 Glorious--more glorious is the crown
512Of Him that brought salvation down
513 By meekness, call'd thy Son;
514Thou that stupendous truth believ'd,
515And now the matchless deed's achiev'd,
516 Determin'd, dar'd, and done.
Publication Start Year
1763
RPO poem Editors
N. J. Endicott
RPO Edition
2RP 1.726.
Rhyme