"Ye holy Souls, who from your Bondage free, / Have reach'd th' inmost Mansions of the Skie, / And there, those dazling Glories see, / Which lie / Beyond the utmost Ken of a weak mortal Eye."
— Chudleigh [née Lee], Mary, Lady Chudleigh (bap. 1656, d. 1710)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by W. B. for Bernard Lintott
Date
1703
Metaphor
"Ye holy Souls, who from your Bondage free, / Have reach'd th' inmost Mansions of the Skie, / And there, those dazling Glories see, / Which lie / Beyond the utmost Ken of a weak mortal Eye."
Metaphor in Context
Ye holy Souls, who from your Bondage free,
Have reach'd th' inmost Mansions of the Skie,
And there, those dazling Glories see,
Which lie
Beyond the utmost Ken of a weak mortal Eye:
Adore his Goodness who has broke your Chains,
And put a Period to your Pains;
And gives you leave in Vehicles more fine,
More active, more divine,
To live at large in the soft balmy Air,
And feast on ev'ry Pleasure there;
Pleasures adapted to your nobler Taste,
And such as will not in th' Enjoyment waste,
How vastly diff'rent is your present State,
From that which you once liv'd below!
Here, Sickness did your Joys abate,
And Disappointments, Injuries and Fears,
Render'd uneasie your long tedious Years;
With Toil you gain'd that little you did know;
Laborious was the Task, and your Advances slow:
But now your Understandings are refin'd;
Your Reason strong, your Knowledge unconfin'd;
Vast is your Prospect, and enlarg'd your Sight,
At once you view this Earth, and all the Worlds of Light.
Have reach'd th' inmost Mansions of the Skie,
And there, those dazling Glories see,
Which lie
Beyond the utmost Ken of a weak mortal Eye:
Adore his Goodness who has broke your Chains,
And put a Period to your Pains;
And gives you leave in Vehicles more fine,
More active, more divine,
To live at large in the soft balmy Air,
And feast on ev'ry Pleasure there;
Pleasures adapted to your nobler Taste,
And such as will not in th' Enjoyment waste,
How vastly diff'rent is your present State,
From that which you once liv'd below!
Here, Sickness did your Joys abate,
And Disappointments, Injuries and Fears,
Render'd uneasie your long tedious Years;
With Toil you gain'd that little you did know;
Laborious was the Task, and your Advances slow:
But now your Understandings are refin'd;
Your Reason strong, your Knowledge unconfin'd;
Vast is your Prospect, and enlarg'd your Sight,
At once you view this Earth, and all the Worlds of Light.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "bond" and "soul" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
At least 5 entries in the ESTC (1703, 1709, 1713, 1722, 1728).
The Lady Chudleigh, Poems on Several Occasions. Together with the Song of the Three Children Paraphras'd (London: Bernard Lintott, 1703). <Link to Google Books>
The Lady Chudleigh, Poems on Several Occasions. Together with the Song of the Three Children Paraphras'd (London: Bernard Lintott, 1703). <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
01/06/2012
