Psalm 139
Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)
O Lord in me there lieth nought
But to thy search revealed lies;
For when I sit
Thou markest it:
Nor less thou notest when I rise:
Yea, closest closet of my thought
Hath open windows to thine eyes.
Thou walkest with me when I walk;
When to my bed for rest I go,
I find thee there,
And everywhere,
Not youngest thought in me doth grow,
No, not one word I cast to talk
But, yet unuttered, thou dost know.
If forth I march, thou goest before;
If back I turn, thou com'st behind;
So forth nor back
Thy guard I lack;
Nay, on me too thy hand I find.
Well I thy wisdom may adore,
But never reach with earthly mind.
To shun thy notice, leave thine eye,
O whither might I take my way?
To starry sphere?
Thy throne is there:
To dead men's undelightsome stay?
There is thy walk, and there to lie
Unknown, in vain should I assay.
O sun, whom light nor flight can match!
Suppose thy lightful flightful wings
Thou lend to me,
And I could flee
As far as thee the evening brings:
Even led to west he would me catch
Nor should I lurk with western things.
Do thou thy best, O secret night!
In sable veil to cover me:
Thy sable veil
Shall vainly fail:
With day unmasked my night shall be,
For night is day, and darkness light,
O Father of all lights, to thee.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 31, 2023
- 1:15 min read
- 124 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAABAB CDEEDCD FAGGAFA HXXEAHI JKIIKJK AILLIAI |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,208 |
Words | 248 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 |
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"Psalm 139" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35257/psalm-139>.
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