The British Church

George Herbert 1593 (Montgomery) – 1633 (Bemerton)



I joy, dear mother, when I view
    Thy perfect lineaments, and hue
      Both sweet and bright.
    Beauty in thee takes up her place,
    And dates her letters from thy face,
      When she doth write.

    A fine aspect in fit array,
    Neither too mean nor yet too gay,
      Shows who is best.
  Outlandish looks may not compare,
  For all they either painted are,
    Or else undress'd.

    She on the hills which wantonly
  Allureth all, in hope to be
    By her preferr'd,
  Hath kiss'd so long her painted shrines,
  That ev'n her face by kissing shines,
    For her reward.

    She in the valley is so shy
  Of dressing, that her hair doth lie
    About her ears;
  While she avoids her neighbour's pride,
  She wholly goes on th' other side,
    And nothing wears.

    But, dearest mother, what those miss,
  The mean, thy praise and glory is
    And long may be.
  Blessed be God, whose love it was
  To double-moat thee with his grace,
    And none but thee.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

51 sec read
89

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCCB DDEXXE FFXGGX HHXIIX XXFXCF
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 950
Words 166
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

George Herbert

The Very Reverend Honourable George Herbert was an Anglican priest. more…

All George Herbert poems | George Herbert Books

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    "The British Church" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15387/the-british-church>.

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