The Temper (II)

George Herbert 1593 (Montgomery) – 1633 (Bemerton)



It cannot be.  Where is that mighty joy,
Which just now took up all my heart?
Lord, if thou must needs use thy dart,
Save that, and me; or sin for both destroy.

The grosser world stand to thy word and art;
But thy diviner world of grace
Thou suddenly dost raise and race,
And ev'ry day a new Creator art

O fix thy chair of grace, that all my powers
May also fix their reverence:
For when thou dost depart from hence,
They grow unruly, and sit in thy bowers.

Scatter, or bind them all to bend to thee:
Though elements change, and heaven move,
Let not thy higher Court remove,
But keep a standing Majesty in me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 16, 2023

36 sec read
114

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBA BCCB DXXD EFFE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 612
Words 121
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

George Herbert

The Very Reverend Honourable George Herbert was an Anglican priest. more…

All George Herbert poems | George Herbert Books

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