Why dost thou shade thy lovely face?
R. Holloway
Why dost thou shade thy lovely face? O why
Does that ecclipsing hand, so long, deny
The Sun-shine of thy soule-enliv'ning eye?
Without that
Light
, what light remaines in me?
Thou art my
Life
, my
Way
, my
Light
; in Thee
I live, I move, and by thy beames I see.
Thou art my
Life
; If thou but turne away,
My life 's a thousand deaths: thou art my
Way;
Without thee, Lord, I travell not, but stray.
My
Light
thou art; without thy glorious sight,
Mine eyes are darkned with perpetuall night.
My God, thou art my
Way
, my
Life
, my
Light.
Thou art my
Way
; I wander, if thou flie:
Thou art my
Light
; If hid, how blind am I?
Thou art my
Life
; If thou withdraw, I die.
Mine eyes are blind and darke, I cannot see;
To whom, or whither should my darknesse flee,
But to the
Light
? And who 's that
Light
but Thee?
My path is lost; my wandring steps do stray;
I cannot safely go, nor safely stay;
Whom should I seek but Thee, my Path, my
Way?
O, I am dead: To whom shall I, poore I,
Repaire? To whom shall my sad Ashes fly
But
Life
? And where is
Life
but in thine eye?
And yet thou turn'st away thy face, and fly'st me;
And yet I sue for Grace, and thou deny'st me;
Speake, art thou angry, Lord, or onely try'st me?
Unskreene those heav'nly lamps, or tell me why
Thou shad'st thy face; Perhaps, thou think'st, no eye
Can view those flames, and not drop downe and die.
If that be all, shine forth, and draw thee nigher;
Let me behold and die; for my desire
Is Phoenix-like to perish in that Fire.
Death-conquer'd Laz'rus was redeem'd by Thee;
If I am dead, Lord set deaths prisner free;
Am I more spent, or stink I worse than he?
If my pufft light be out, give leave to tine
My shamelesse snuffe at that bright Lamp of thine;
O what 's thy
Light
the lesse for lighting mine?
If I have lost my Path, great Shepheard, say,
Shall I still wander in a doubtfull way?
Lord, shall a Lamb of Isr'els sheepfold stray?
Thou art the Pilgrims Path; the blind mans Eye;
The dead mans
Life
; on thee my hopes rely;
If thou remove, I erre; I grope; I die.
Disclose thy Sun-beames; close thy wings, and stay;
See see, how I am blind, and dead, and stray,
O thou, that art my
Light
, my
Life
, my
Way.