Henry Vaughan. The Relapse.

THE RELAPSE.
by Henry Vaughan

MY God, how gracious art Thou ! I had slipt
Almost to hell,
And on the verge of that dark, dreadful pit
Did hear them yell ;
But O Thy love ! Thy rich, almighty love,
That sav'd my soul,
And check'd their fury, when I saw them move,
And heard them howl !
O my sole Comfort, take no more these ways,
This hideous path,
And I will mend my own without delays :
Cease Thou Thy wrath !
I have deserv'd a thick, Egyptian damp,
—Dark as my deeds—
Should mist within me, and put out that lamp
Thy Spirit feeds ;
A darting conscience full of stabs, and fears ;
No shade but yew,
Sullen, and sad eclipses, cloudy spheres,
These are my due.
But He that with His blood—a price too dear—
My scores did pay,
Bid me, by virtue from Him, challenge here
The brightest day ;
Sweet, downy thoughts, soft lily-shades, calm streams,
Joys full, and true,
Fresh, spicy mornings, and eternal beams,—
These are His due.

Source:
Vaughan, Henry. The Poems of Henry Vaughan, Silurist. vol I.
E. K. Chambers, Ed. London, Lawrence & Bullen Ltd., 1896. 89.

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