Me, Lord? Canst thou mispend
One word, misplace one look on me?
Call'st my, thy Love, thy Friend?
Can this poor soul the object be
Of those love-glances, those life-kindling eyes?
What? I the centre of thy arms' embraces?
Of all thy labour I the prize?
Love never mocks, truth never lies.
Oh how I quake: hope, fear, fear hope displaces:
I would, but cannot hope: such wondrous love amazes.
See, I am black as night,
See, I am darkness: dark as hell.
Lord, thou more fair than light;
Heaven's sun thy shadow: suns can dwell
With shades? 'twixt light and darkness what commerce?
True: thou art darkness, I thy light: my ray
Thy mists and hellish fogs shall pierce.
With me, black soul, with me converse;
I make the foul December flowery May.
Turn thou thy night to me; I'll turn thy night to day.
See, Lord, see I am dead:
Tombed in myself: myself my grave.
A drudge: so born, so bred:
Myself even to myself a slave.
Thou freedom, life: can life and liberty
Love bondage, death? Thy freedom I: I tied
To loose thy bonds: be bound to me:
My yoke shall ease, my bonds shall free.
Dead soul, thy spring of life, my dying side:
There die with me to live: to live in thee I died.
Comments