Life and Existence

I feel The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh, Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.

O fairest of creation! last and best Of all God’s works! creature in whom excell’d Whatever can to sight or thought be form’d, Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet! How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost, Defac’d, deflower’d, and now to Death devote?

So dear I love him, that with him all deaths I could endure, without him live no life.

Her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the fruit, she pluck’d, she eat: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat, Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe That all was lost.

Unless an age too late, or cold Climate, or years damp my intended wing.

Unless an age too late, or cold Climate, or years damp my intended wing.

So absolute she seems And in herself complete, so well to know Her own, that what she wills to do or say, Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best.

The planets in their stations list’ning stood, While the bright pomp ascended jubilant. Open, ye everlasting gates, they sung, Open, ye heavens, your living doors; let in The great Creator from his work return’d Magnificent, his six days’ work, a world.

Out of one man a race Of men innumerable.

Among the faithless, faithful only he.

Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light, Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers.

What if earth Be but the shadow of heaven, and things therein Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?

Freely we serve, Because we freely love, as in our will To love or not; in this we stand or fall.

Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.

These are thy glorious works, Parent of good.

His sleep Was airy light from pure digestion bred.

Not to know me argues yourselves unknown.

Hail wedded love, mysterious law, true source Of human offspring.

Hail wedded love, mysterious law, true source Of human offspring.

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep.

Adam the goodliest man of men since born His sons, the fairest of her daughters Eve.

Two of far nobler shape erect and tall, Godlike erect, with native honor clad In naked majesty seem’d lords of all.

Not that fair field Of Enna, where Proserpin gathering flowers Herself a fairer flower by gloomy Dis Was gathered, which cost Ceres all that pain To seek her through the world.

Hail, holy light! offspring of heav’n firstborn. 5