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On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity · Ririro.com - Poetry

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  Speaker 1: On the morning of Christ's nativity. This is the month,
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  Speaker 1: and this the happy morn, wherein the sun of Heaven's
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  Speaker 1: eternal king of wedded maid and virgin mother born Our
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  Speaker 1: great redemption from above did bring. For so the holy
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  Speaker 1: sages once did sing that he our deadly forfeit should
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  Speaker 1: release and with his father work us a perpetual peace,
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  Speaker 1: that glorious form, that light unsufferable, and that far beaming
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  Speaker 1: blaze of majesty. Wherewith he wont at Heaven's high council
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  Speaker 1: table to sit the midst of trinal unity, he laid aside,
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  Speaker 1: and here with us to be forsook the courts of
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  Speaker 1: everlasting day, and chose with us a darksome house of
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  Speaker 1: mortal clay. Say, Heavenly muse, shall not thy sacred vein
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  Speaker 1: afford a present to the infant God. Hast thou no verse,
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  Speaker 1: no hymn, or solemn strain to welcome him to this
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  Speaker 1: his new abode. Now while the heaven by the Sun's
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  Speaker 1: team untrod hath took no print of the approaching light,
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  Speaker 1: And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright
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  Speaker 1: see how from far upon the Eastern road the star
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  Speaker 1: led wizards haste with odors. Sweet O run prevent them
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  Speaker 1: with thy humble ode, and lay it lowly at his
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  Speaker 1: blessed feet. Have thou the honor first, thy Lord, to
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  Speaker 1: greet and join thy voice. Unto the angel choir from
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  Speaker 1: out his secret altar, touch'd with hallow'd fire. It was
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  Speaker 1: the winter wild, while the heaven born child, all meanly
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  Speaker 1: wrapped in the rude manger lies nature in awe to him,
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  Speaker 1: had doffed her gaudy trim with her great master, so
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  Speaker 1: to sympathize. It was no season then for her to
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  Speaker 1: wanton with the sun her lusty paramour. Only with speeches fair.
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  Speaker 1: She woos the gentle air to hide her guilty front
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  Speaker 1: with innocent snow, and on her naked shame, pollute with
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  Speaker 1: sinful blame, the saintly veil of maiden White, to throw,
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  Speaker 1: Confounded that her maker's eyes should look so near upon
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  Speaker 1: her foul deformities. But he her fears to cease, sent down.
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  Speaker 1: The meek eyed peace, she crowned with olive green, came
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  Speaker 1: softly sliding down through the turning sphere, his ready harbinger
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  Speaker 1: with turtle wing, the amorous clouds dividing and waving wide
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  Speaker 1: her myrtle wand she strikes a universal peace through sea
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  Speaker 1: and land. No war or battle's sound was heard the
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  Speaker 1: world around. The idle spear and shield were high uphung.
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  Speaker 1: The hooked chariot stood unstained with hostile blood. The trumpets
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  Speaker 1: spake not to the armed throng, and kings sate still
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  Speaker 1: with awful eye, as if they surely knew their sovereign
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  Speaker 1: lord was by. But peaceful was the night, wherein the
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  Speaker 1: Prince of Light his reign of peace upon the earth began.
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  Speaker 1: The winds with wonder whist smoothly, the waters kissed, whispering
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  Speaker 1: new joys to the mild ocean, who now hath quite
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  Speaker 1: forgot to rave, while birds of calm sit brooding on
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  Speaker 1: the charmed wave. The stars with deep amaze stand fixed
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  Speaker 1: in steadfast gaze, bending one way their precious influence, and
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  Speaker 1: will not take their flight for all the morning light
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  Speaker 1: or lucifer that often warned them thence but in their
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  Speaker 1: glimmering orbs did glow until their lord himself bespake and
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  Speaker 1: bid them go. And though the shady gloom had given
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  Speaker 1: day her room, the sun himself withheld his wonted speed
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  Speaker 1: and hid his head for shame, as his inferior flame,
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  Speaker 1: the new enlightened world no more should meet. He saw
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  Speaker 1: a greater sun appear than his bright throne or burning
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  Speaker 1: axle tree could bear. The shepherds on the lawn, or
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  Speaker 1: ere the point of dawn sate simply chatting in a
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  Speaker 1: rustic row full. Little thought they thean that the mighty
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  Speaker 1: pan was kindly come to live with them below. Perhaps
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  Speaker 1: their loves, or else their sheep, was all that did
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  Speaker 1: their silly thoughts so busy keep When such music sweet
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  Speaker 1: their hearts and ears did greet as never was by
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  Speaker 1: mortal finger struck divinely warbled voice, answering the stringed noise,
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  Speaker 1: as all their souls in blissful rapture took the air
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  Speaker 1: such pleasure loath to lose. With thousand echoes still prolongs
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  Speaker 1: each heavenly close nature that heard such sound beneath the
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  Speaker 1: hollow round of Cynthia's seat, the airy region thrilling now
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  Speaker 1: was almost one to think her part was done, and
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  Speaker 1: that her reign had here its last fulfilling. She knew
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  Speaker 1: such harmony alone could hold all heaven and earth in
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  Speaker 1: happier union. At last surrounds their sight a globe of
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  Speaker 1: circular light that with long beams, the shamefaced night arrayed,
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  Speaker 1: The helmed Cherubim and sordid Seraphim are seen in glittering ranks,
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  Speaker 1: with wings displayed, harping in loud and solemn choir with
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  Speaker 1: unexpressive notes to Heaven's newborn air. Such music, as 'tis
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  Speaker 1: said before, was never made. But when of old the
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  Speaker 1: suns of morning sung, while the creator great his constellations set,
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  Speaker 1: and the well balanced world on hinges hung and cast
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  Speaker 1: the dark foundations deep, and bid the weltering waves their
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  Speaker 1: oozy channel, keep ring out, Ye crystal spheres, once bless
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  Speaker 1: our human ears, if ye have power to touch our senses,
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  Speaker 1: So and let your silver chime move in melodious time,
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  Speaker 1: and let the base of Heaven's deep organ blow, and
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  Speaker 1: with your ninefold harmony, make up full consort to the
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  Speaker 1: angelic symphony. For if such holy song in wrap our
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  Speaker 1: fancy long time will run back and fetch the age
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  Speaker 1: of gold and speckled vanity will sicken soon and die,
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  Speaker 1: and leprous sin will melt from earthly mold, and Hell
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  Speaker 1: itself will pass away and leave her dolorous mansions to
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  Speaker 1: the peering day. Yea truth and justice. Then will down
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  Speaker 1: return to men orbed in a rainbow, and like Glory's
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  Speaker 1: wearing mercy will sit between throned in celestial sheen, with
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  Speaker 1: radiant feet the tissued clouds down, steering and heaven, as
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  Speaker 1: at some festival, will open wide the gates of her
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  Speaker 1: high palace hall. But wisest Fate says no, this must
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  Speaker 1: not yet be so. The Babe lies yet in smiling infancy,
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  Speaker 1: that on the bitter cross must redeem our loss, so
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  Speaker 1: both himself and us to glorify. Yet first to those
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  Speaker 1: a chained in sleep, the wakeful trump of doom must
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  Speaker 1: thunder through the deep with such a horrid clang, as
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  Speaker 1: on Mount Sinai rang, while the red fire and smoldering
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  Speaker 1: clouds outbreak. The aged earth, aghast with terror of that blast,
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  Speaker 1: shall from the surface to the center shake, when at
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  Speaker 1: the world's last session, the dreadful judge in middle air
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  Speaker 1: shall spread his throne, and then at last are bliss
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  Speaker 1: full and perfect is but now begins, for from this
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  Speaker 1: happy day the old dragon underground, in straighter limits, bound
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  Speaker 1: not half so far casts his usurped sway, and wrath
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  Speaker 1: to see his king dam fail, swinges the scaly horror
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  Speaker 1: of his folded tail. The oracles are dumb. No voice
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  Speaker 1: or hideous hum runs through the arched roof. In words,
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  Speaker 1: deceiving Apollo from his shrine can no more divine. With
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  Speaker 1: hollow shriek, the steep of Delphos, leaving no nightly trance
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  Speaker 1: or breathed spell, inspires the pale eyed priest from the
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  Speaker 1: prophetic cell, the lonely mountains ore and the resounding shore.
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  Speaker 1: A voice of weeping heard and loud lament from haunted
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  Speaker 1: spring and dale edged with poplar pale. The parting Genius
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  Speaker 1: is with sighing scent, with flower in woven tresses, torn,
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  Speaker 1: the nymphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets, morn in
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  Speaker 1: in consecrated earth, and on the holy hearth. The lars
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  Speaker 1: and lamoras moan with midnight plaint in urns and altars
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  Speaker 1: round a drear and dying sound affrights the flamin's at
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  Speaker 1: their service quaint, and the chill marble seems to sweat,
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  Speaker 1: while each peculiar power foregoes his wonted seat. Payor and
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  Speaker 1: Balim forsake their temples, dim with that twice battered God
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  Speaker 1: of Palestine and mooned Ashtaroth, Heaven's queen and mother both
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  Speaker 1: now sits not girt with Taper's holy shine. The Libic
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  Speaker 1: Hammon shrinks his horn in vain. The Tyrian maids their wounded,
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  Speaker 1: the Moo's morn and sullen Moloch fled Hath left in shadows,
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  Speaker 1: dread his burning idol. All of blackest hue in vain
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  Speaker 1: with Cymbal's ring they call the grisly king in dismal
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  Speaker 1: dance about the furnace blue. The brutish gods of Nile
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  Speaker 1: as fast Isis and Orus and the dog Anubis haste,
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  Speaker 1: nor is Osiris seen in Memphian grove or green trampling
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  Speaker 1: the unshowered grass with lowings loud, Nor can he be
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  Speaker 1: at rest within his sacred chest naught but profoundest hell
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  Speaker 1: can be his shroud in vain with timbreled anthems dark,
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  Speaker 1: the sable stoled sorcerers bear his worshiped arc. He feels
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  Speaker 1: from Judah's land the dreaded Infant's hand, the rays of
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  Speaker 1: Bethlehem blind his dusky eye. Nor all the gods beside
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  Speaker 1: longer dare abide. Not Typhon huge ending in snaky twine
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  Speaker 1: our babe to show his Godhead true can in his
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  Speaker 1: swaddling bands control the damned crew. So when the sun
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  Speaker 1: in bed, curtained with cloudy red pillows his chin upon
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  Speaker 1: an orient wave, the flocking shadows pale troop to the
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  Speaker 1: infernal jail, Each fettered ghost slips to his several grave,
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  Speaker 1: and the yellow skirted fays fly after the night's deeds,
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  Speaker 1: leaving their moon loved maze. But see the virgin blest
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  Speaker 1: hath laid her babe to rest. Time is our tedious
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  Speaker 1: song should here have ending. Heaven's youngest teemed star hath
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  Speaker 1: fixed her polished car, her sleeping lord with handmade lamp attending,
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  Speaker 1: And all about the courtly stable, bright harnessed angels sit
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  Speaker 1: in order serviceable