Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 The Dedication
- 2 The Altar
- 3 from The Sacrifice
- 4 The Thanksgiving
- 5 The Agonie
- 6 Good Friday
- 7 Redemption
- 8 Sepulchre
- 9 Easter
- 10 Easter wings
- 11 H. Baptisme (II)
- 12 Sinne (I)
- 13 Affliction (I)
- 14 Repentance
- 15 Prayer (I)
- 16 The H. Communion
- 17 Antiphon (I)
- 18 Love I and II
- 19 The Temper (I)
- 20 Jordan (I)
- 21 Employment (I)
- 22 The H. Scriptures I and II
- 23 Whitsunday
- 24 Grace
- 25 Mattens
- 26 Even-song
- 27 Church-monuments
- 28 Church-musick
- 29 The Church-floore
- 30 The Windows
- 31 Trinitie Sunday
- 32 Content
- 33 The Quidditie
- 34 Affliction (III)
- 35 The Starre
- 36 To all Angels and Saints
- 37 Deniall
- 38 Christmas
- 39 Ungratefulnesse
- 40 Sighs and Grones
- 41 The World
- 42 Coloss. 3.3: Our life is hid with Christ in God.
- 43 Vanitie (I)
- 44 Vertue
- 45 The Pearl. Matth. 13.
- 46 Affliction (IV)
- 47 Man
- 48 Unkindnesse
- 49 Life
- 50 Affliction (V)
- 51 Miserie
- 52 Jordan (II)
- 53 Sion
- 54 Home
- 55 The British Church
- 56 The Quip
- 57 The Dawning
- 58 JESU
- 59 Dulnesse
- 60 Love-joy
- 61 from Providence
- 62 Hope
- 63 Sinnes round
- 64 Gratefulnesse
- 65 Peace
- 66 The bunch of grapes
- 67 Love unknown
- 68 Mans medley
- 69 Paradise
- 70 Ephes. 4.30: Grieve not the Holy Spirit, etc.
- 71 The Pilgrimage
- 72 The Holdfast
- 73 Praise (II)
- 74 Longing
- 75 The Collar
- 76 The Call
- 77 Clasping of hands
- 78 The Pulley
- 79 The Priesthood
- 80 Grief
- 81 The Crosse
- 82 The Flower
- 83 The Sonne
- 84 A true Hymne
- 85 Bitter-sweet
- 86 The Glance
- 87 The 23 Psalme
- 88 Aaron
- 89 The Odour, 2. Cor. 2
- 90 The Forerunners
- 91 Discipline
- 92 The Invitation
- 93 The Posie
- 94 A Parodie
- 95 The Elixer
- 96 A Wreath
- 97 Death
- 98 Dooms-day
- 99 Heaven
- 100 Love (III)
- Glossary
- Sources
- Index of titles
- Index of first lines
51 - Miserie
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2016
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 The Dedication
- 2 The Altar
- 3 from The Sacrifice
- 4 The Thanksgiving
- 5 The Agonie
- 6 Good Friday
- 7 Redemption
- 8 Sepulchre
- 9 Easter
- 10 Easter wings
- 11 H. Baptisme (II)
- 12 Sinne (I)
- 13 Affliction (I)
- 14 Repentance
- 15 Prayer (I)
- 16 The H. Communion
- 17 Antiphon (I)
- 18 Love I and II
- 19 The Temper (I)
- 20 Jordan (I)
- 21 Employment (I)
- 22 The H. Scriptures I and II
- 23 Whitsunday
- 24 Grace
- 25 Mattens
- 26 Even-song
- 27 Church-monuments
- 28 Church-musick
- 29 The Church-floore
- 30 The Windows
- 31 Trinitie Sunday
- 32 Content
- 33 The Quidditie
- 34 Affliction (III)
- 35 The Starre
- 36 To all Angels and Saints
- 37 Deniall
- 38 Christmas
- 39 Ungratefulnesse
- 40 Sighs and Grones
- 41 The World
- 42 Coloss. 3.3: Our life is hid with Christ in God.
- 43 Vanitie (I)
- 44 Vertue
- 45 The Pearl. Matth. 13.
- 46 Affliction (IV)
- 47 Man
- 48 Unkindnesse
- 49 Life
- 50 Affliction (V)
- 51 Miserie
- 52 Jordan (II)
- 53 Sion
- 54 Home
- 55 The British Church
- 56 The Quip
- 57 The Dawning
- 58 JESU
- 59 Dulnesse
- 60 Love-joy
- 61 from Providence
- 62 Hope
- 63 Sinnes round
- 64 Gratefulnesse
- 65 Peace
- 66 The bunch of grapes
- 67 Love unknown
- 68 Mans medley
- 69 Paradise
- 70 Ephes. 4.30: Grieve not the Holy Spirit, etc.
- 71 The Pilgrimage
- 72 The Holdfast
- 73 Praise (II)
- 74 Longing
- 75 The Collar
- 76 The Call
- 77 Clasping of hands
- 78 The Pulley
- 79 The Priesthood
- 80 Grief
- 81 The Crosse
- 82 The Flower
- 83 The Sonne
- 84 A true Hymne
- 85 Bitter-sweet
- 86 The Glance
- 87 The 23 Psalme
- 88 Aaron
- 89 The Odour, 2. Cor. 2
- 90 The Forerunners
- 91 Discipline
- 92 The Invitation
- 93 The Posie
- 94 A Parodie
- 95 The Elixer
- 96 A Wreath
- 97 Death
- 98 Dooms-day
- 99 Heaven
- 100 Love (III)
- Glossary
- Sources
- Index of titles
- Index of first lines
Summary
Lord, let the Angels praise thy name.
Man is a foolish thing, a foolish thing,
Folly and Sinne play all his game.
His house still burns, and yet he still doth sing,
Man is but grasse,
He knows it, fill the glasse.
How canst thou brook his foolishnesse?
Why he'l not lose a cup of drink for thee:
Bid him but temper his excesse;
Not he: he knows, where he can better be,
As he will swear,
Then to serve thee in fear.
What strange pollutions doth he wed,
And make his own? as if none knew, but he.
No man shall beat into his head,
That thou within his curtains drawn canst see:
They are of cloth,
Where never yet came moth.
The best of men, turn but thy hand
For one poore minute, stumble at a pinne:
They would not have their actions scann'd,
Nor any sorrow tell them that they sinne,
Though it be small,
And measure not their fall.
They quarrell thee, and would give over
The bargain made to serve thee: but thy love
Holds them unto it, and doth cover
Their follies with the wing of thy milde Dove,
Not suff'ring those
Who would, to be thy foes.
My God, Man cannot praise thy name:
Thou art all brightnesse, perfect puritie;
The sunne holds down his head for shame,
Dead with eclipses, when we speak of thee:
How shall infection
Presume on thy perfection?
As dirtie hands foul all they touch,
And those things most, which are most pure and fine:
So our clay hearts, ev'n when we crouch
To sing thy praises, make them lesse divine.
Yet either this,
Or none thy portion is.
Man cannot serve thee; let him go,
And serve the swine: there, there is his delight:
He doth not like this vertue, no;
Give him his dirt to wallow in all night:
These Preachers make
His head to shoot and ake.
Oh foolish man! where are thine eyes?
How hast thou lost them in a croud of cares?
Thou pull'st the rug, and wilt not rise,
No not to purchase the whole pack of starres:
There let them shine,
Thou must go sleep, or dine.
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- Information
- George Herbert: 100 Poems , pp. 77 - 80Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2016