[THE INFLUX]
I
Ye hidden nectars, which my God doth drink,
Ye heavenly streams, ye beams divine,
On which the angels think,
How quick, how strongly do ye shine!
Ye images of joy that in me dwell,
Ye sweet mysterious shades
That do all substances excel,
Whose glory never fades;
Ye skies, ye seas, ye stars, or things more fair,
O ever, ever unto me repair!
II
Ye pleasant thoughts! O how that sun divine
Appears to-day which I did see
So sweetly then to shine
Even in my very infancy!
Ye rich ideas which within me live
Ye living pictures here,
Ye spirits that do bring and give
All joys; when ye appear
Even Heaven itself and God, and all in you
Come down on earth and please my blessed view.
III
I never glorious great and rich am found,
Am never ravished with joy,
Till ye my soul surround:
Till ye my blessedness display
No soul but stone, no man but clay am I,
No flesh, but dust, till ye
Delight, invade and move my eye,
And do replenish me;
My sweet informers and my living treasures,
My great companions and my only pleasures!
IV
O what incredible delights, what fires,
What appetites, what joys do ye
Occasion, what desires,
What heavenly praises! While we see
What every Seraphim above admires!
Your Jubilee and trade,
Ye are so strangely and divinely made
Shall never, never fade:
Ye ravish all my soul: Of you I twice
Will speak, for in the dark y'are Paradise.