"Heav'n's pure Word would prompt Affection win, / And purge the Soul from all polluting Sin; / Till, like a faithful mirror Man would shine, / By Wisdom polish'd, and by Grace, divine."
— Woodhouse, James (bap. 1735, d. 1820)
Publisher
Symonds
Date
w. 1789, 1804
Metaphor
"Heav'n's pure Word would prompt Affection win, / And purge the Soul from all polluting Sin; / Till, like a faithful mirror Man would shine, / By Wisdom polish'd, and by Grace, divine."
Metaphor in Context
In borrow'd shape, no Vice thro' vizor seen,
Would mimic Virtue's godlike look and mien;
Or, with deception, of a darker shade,
Presume to purchase Heav'n by vain parade;
But let Religion act her honest part,
And clear each head of hypocritic Art,
While Heav'n's pure Word would prompt Affection win,
And purge the Soul from all polluting Sin;
Till, like a faithful mirror Man would shine,
By Wisdom polish'd, and by Grace, divine;
Reflecting that bless'd Pattern, plac'd above,
In perfect Peace--Goodwill--and holy Love!
Would mimic Virtue's godlike look and mien;
Or, with deception, of a darker shade,
Presume to purchase Heav'n by vain parade;
But let Religion act her honest part,
And clear each head of hypocritic Art,
While Heav'n's pure Word would prompt Affection win,
And purge the Soul from all polluting Sin;
Till, like a faithful mirror Man would shine,
By Wisdom polish'd, and by Grace, divine;
Reflecting that bless'd Pattern, plac'd above,
In perfect Peace--Goodwill--and holy Love!
Categories
Provenance
Searching "soul" and "mirror" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Written 1789, the poem belongs to Love Letters to My Wife, first published in 1804.
Text from The Life and Poetical Works of James Woodhouse, ed. R. I. Woodhouse, 2 vols. (London: The Leadenhall Press, 1896). <Link to Hathi Trust> <Link to LION>
Text from The Life and Poetical Works of James Woodhouse, ed. R. I. Woodhouse, 2 vols. (London: The Leadenhall Press, 1896). <Link to Hathi Trust> <Link to LION>
Date of Entry
11/21/2005
