Ebb and Flow
Edward Taylor 1642 (Coventry) – 1729
When first Thou on me, Lord, wroughtest Thy sweet print,
My heart was made Thy tinder-box,
My 'ffections were Thy tinder in't,
Where fell Thy sparks by drops.
Those holy sparks of heavenly fire that came
Did ever catch and often out would flame.
But now my heart is made Thy censer trim,
Full of Thy golden altar's fire,
To offer up sweet incense in
Unto Thyself entire:
I find my tinder scarce Thy sparks can feel
That drop from out Thy holy flint and steel.
Hence doubts out bud for fear Thy fire in me
'S a mocking ignis fatuus,
Or lest Thine altar's fire out be,
It's hid in ashes thus.
Yet when the bellows of Thy spirit blow
Away mine ashes, then Thy fire doth glow.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 20, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 199 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XABXCC XDXDEE BABXFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 665 |
Words | 131 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
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"Ebb and Flow" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/9798/ebb-and-flow>.
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