Henryvaughan(1621–1695)
The World
I s a w eternity t h e other night,
Like a great ring of pure and e n d l e s s light,
All c a l m as it w a s bright;
A n d r o u n d b e n e a t h it, T i m e , in hours, days, years,
Driven by t h e spheres3
Like a vast s h a d o w m o v e d , in w h i c h the world
A n d all her train w e r e hurled.
The doting lover in his quaintest 0 strainmost ingenious
Did there complain;
N e a r h i m , his lute, his fancy, a n d his flights,
Wit's sour delights,
With gloves and knots, 0 the silly snares of pleasure,love knots
Yet his dear treasure,
All scattered lay, w h i l e he his eyes did pour
U p o n a flower.
The darksome statesman hung with weights and woe
Like a thick midnight fog moved there so slow
He did nor stay nor go;neither
C o n d e m n i n g t h o u g h t s , like sad eclipses, scowl
U p o n his soul,
A n d c l o u d s of crying w i t n e s s e s w i t h o u t 0all around
P u r s u e d h i m w i t h o n e s h o u t .
Yet digged t h e m o l e , 4 and, lest his ways be f o u n d ,
W o r k e d underground,
W h e r e he did c l u t c h his prey. B u t o n e did s e e
That policy:strategy
C h u r c h e s a n d altars f e d him; perjuries
W e r e gnats a n d flies;
It rained a b o u t h i m b l o o d and tears; but he
Drank t h e m as free.5
T h e fearful m i s e r on a h e a p of rust
Sat pining all his life there, did scarce 0 trustscarcely
His o w n h a n d s w i t h the dust;
Yet w o u l d not p l a c e 0 o n e p i e c e above, but livesinvest
In fear of thieves.
T h o u s a n d s there w e r e as frantic as h i m s e l f ,
A n d h u g g e d e a c h o n e his pelf:money, riches
The downright epicure 6 placed heaven in sense,
And scorned pretense;
W h i l e others, slipped into a w i d e excess,
Said little less;
T h e weaker sort slight, trivial wares enslave,
Who think them brave 0fine, showy
A n d poor, d e s p i s e d Truth sat c o u n t i n g by7
Their victory.
Yet s o m e , w h o all this w h i l e did w e e p and sing,
A n d sing a n d w e e p , soared up into t h e ring;
But m o s t w o u l d u s e n o wing.
"O fools! said I, "thus to prefer dark night
Before true light!
To live in grots 0 and caves, and hate the daycaverns
Because it shows the way,
T h e w a y w h i c h from this dead a n d dark a b o d e
Leads up to G o d ,
A w a y w h e r e y o u might tread t h e s u n and be
M o r e bright t h a n he!
But as I did their m a d n e s s so discuss,
O n e w h i s p e r e d thus:
"This ring t h e bridegroom did for n o n e provide,
But for his bride.8