"Then from this hour deep on my heart engraved / Be all my duty needful."
— Cowper, William (1731-1800)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
T. Fisher Unwin
Date
1900
Metaphor
"Then from this hour deep on my heart engraved / Be all my duty needful."
Metaphor in Context
But oh! my Soul how poor a Portrait this!
How weak the Colours and how faint th'Idea,
Of what one day thou must be a Spectator!
Oh! bright and blessed morning to the Just!
Oh! Day of doom of infinite distress;
To those who unprepar'd Messiah meet;
When thron'd in Clouds, surrounded by the Host
Of Heav'n, worshipping, the Judge descends:
Consummate Triumph. Hark! the Trumpet sounds,
The Breath of Michael blows the Amazing blast;
The Dead arise, the Living all are Chang'd,
And Adam's family appear before Him--
Amid that throng--in that Assembly vast,
Must thou my soul appear and there receive
A Plaudit glorious or Silence sad:
Sink deep in Thought, Oh, deeper, deeper still:
May it ne'er be forgotten, on my Couch
Be it my dreaming subject, when awake,
Oh! be it still remembered: for its worth
What tongue can speak, or any language tell?
Then from this hour deep on my heart engraved
Be all my duty needful; Ha! that blaze
That Shock tremendous that appals me thus
Says I am not prepar'd--but I submit;
No more will I rebel against thy sway
Nor dispute thy dominion Gracious God!
My sins shall suffer and by Grace divine
I will forsake them all and trust alone
For true felicity, for pleasure high
To Thee: who only can true pleasure give.
The Storm abates--less too the Thunder roars,
The Vault of Heav'n grows brighter, and the Sun
Strives to Emerge from yonder dusky Cloud,
More faint the flashes grow--and distant fly,
Nature resumes her charms, and from the Grove
Musick again is heard: the Warblers there
Attempt a feeble strain: the Dog Star now
Throws his warm beams around the weeping Scene;
Salubrious Zephyrs gently fan the Air:
Love, Life, and Joy return by due degrees
And Harmony once more revisits Earth.
How weak the Colours and how faint th'Idea,
Of what one day thou must be a Spectator!
Oh! bright and blessed morning to the Just!
Oh! Day of doom of infinite distress;
To those who unprepar'd Messiah meet;
When thron'd in Clouds, surrounded by the Host
Of Heav'n, worshipping, the Judge descends:
Consummate Triumph. Hark! the Trumpet sounds,
The Breath of Michael blows the Amazing blast;
The Dead arise, the Living all are Chang'd,
And Adam's family appear before Him--
Amid that throng--in that Assembly vast,
Must thou my soul appear and there receive
A Plaudit glorious or Silence sad:
Sink deep in Thought, Oh, deeper, deeper still:
May it ne'er be forgotten, on my Couch
Be it my dreaming subject, when awake,
Oh! be it still remembered: for its worth
What tongue can speak, or any language tell?
Then from this hour deep on my heart engraved
Be all my duty needful; Ha! that blaze
That Shock tremendous that appals me thus
Says I am not prepar'd--but I submit;
No more will I rebel against thy sway
Nor dispute thy dominion Gracious God!
My sins shall suffer and by Grace divine
I will forsake them all and trust alone
For true felicity, for pleasure high
To Thee: who only can true pleasure give.
The Storm abates--less too the Thunder roars,
The Vault of Heav'n grows brighter, and the Sun
Strives to Emerge from yonder dusky Cloud,
More faint the flashes grow--and distant fly,
Nature resumes her charms, and from the Grove
Musick again is heard: the Warblers there
Attempt a feeble strain: the Dog Star now
Throws his warm beams around the weeping Scene;
Salubrious Zephyrs gently fan the Air:
Love, Life, and Joy return by due degrees
And Harmony once more revisits Earth.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "engrav" and "heart" in HDIS (Poetry)
Date of Entry
03/08/2005
Date of Review
06/24/2011
