1 Remember, O Lord, what is fallen on us;
See, and marke how we are reproached thus, 350
2 For unto strangers our possession
Is turn'd, our houses unto Aliens gone,
3 Our mothers are become as widowes, wee
As Orphans all, and without father be;
4 Waters which are our owne, wee drunke, and pay, 355
And upon our owne wood a price they lay.
5 Our persecutors on our necks do sit,
They make us travaile, and not intermit,
6 We stretch our hands unto th'_Egyptians_
To get us bread; and to the _Assyrians_. 360
7 Our Fathers did these sinnes, and are no more,
But wee do beare the sinnes they did before.
8 They are but servants, which do rule us thus,
Yet from their hands none would deliver us.
9 With danger of our life our bread wee gat; 365
For in the wildernesse, the sword did wait.
10 The tempests of this famine wee liv'd in,
Black as an Oven colour'd had our skinne:
11 In _Iudaes_ cities they the maids abus'd
By force, and so women in _Sion_ us'd. 370
12 The Princes with their hands they hung; no grace
Nor honour gave they to the Elders face.
13 Unto the mill our yong men carried are,
And children fell under the wood they bare.
14 Elders, the gates; youth did their songs forbeare, 375
15 Gone was our joy; our dancings, mournings were.
16 Now is the crowne falne from our head; and woe
Be unto us, because we'have sinned so.
17 For this our hearts do languish, and for this
Over our eyes a cloudy dimnesse is. 380
18 Because mount _Sion_ desolate doth lye,
And foxes there do goe at libertie:
19 But thou O Lord art ever, and thy throne
From generation, to generation.
20 Why should'st thou forget us eternally? 385
Or leave us thus long in this misery?
21 Restore us Lord to thee, that so we may
Returne, and as of old, renew our day.
22 For oughtest thou, O Lord, despise us thus,
And to be utterly enrag'd at us? 390
[The Lamentations _&c._ _1633-69_ (Tremellius _1639-69_), _B_,
_N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ _Tr in the notes stands for_ Tremellius,
_Vulg for_ Vulgate. _See note:_ _full-stops after
verse-numbers_ _1635-69_]
[2-4 thus! ... is!] thus? ... is? _1633-69_]
[22 Harts] hearts _1669_]
[25 her _O'F:_ their _1633-69_, _N_, _TCD:_ the _B:_ diebus
afflictionis suae et ploratuum suorum _Tr_]
[28 Whilest _B_, _O'F:_ Whiles _1633-69_]
[32 seene;] seene, _1633_]
[43 pleasure] pleasures _N_]
[53 hand] hands _1650-69:_ manu ejus _Tr_]
[56 from whom _1635-69_, _B_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ from whence
_1633_]
[58 invite _1633_, _N_, _TCD:_ accite _1635-69_, _B_, _O'F_]
[59 men; _Ed:_ men, _1633-69_]
[63 farre;] farre _1633_]
[65 hand,] hand _1633-35_]
[76 they could not get. _1633:_ and none could get. _1635-69_]
[_Norton conjectures that in_ 75 _we should read_ the
sought-for meat: _but see note_]
[78 o'rturn'd,] return'd, _1633_]
[81 heare I mourne, _1633-35_, _B_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ heare
me mourn, _N:_ here I mourn, _1639-69_, _and mod. edd.:_
Audientium me in gemitu esse nemo consolatur me. _Tr_]
[87 sighs] sights _1669_]
[90 cloud! _Ed:_ cloud? _1633-69_
flung] flung. _1633_]
[92 wrath! _Ed:_ wrath? _1633-69_]
[95 strengths _1633_, _N_, _TCD:_ strength _1635_, _B_, _O'F:_
munitiones _Tr and Vulg_]
[110 where] which _B_, _O'F:_ locum conventus sui _Tr_]
[112 regardeth] regarded _1669_]
[114 hand _B_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ hands _1633-69:_ tradit in
manum inimici muros, palatia illius _Tr_]
[118-9 ground; ... hand,] ground, ... hand; _1633_]
[121 Their _1633:_ The _1635-69_]
[122 barres; _B_, _O'F:_ barre; _1633-69_, _N_, _TCD:_ vectes
ejus _Tr_]
[124 their] the _1669_]
[134 there,] there _1633-39_]
[135 streets, _B_, _O'F:_ street _1633-69_, _N_, _TCD:_ in
plateis civitatis _Tr_]
[141 For thee _1635-54:_ For, the _1633:_ For the _1669_]
[143 disturne _1633-54 and MSS.:_ dis-urn _1669:_ disturb
_Chambers:_ ad avertendum captivitatem tuam _Tr_]
[145 hisse, _Ed:_ hisse _1633-39_]
[157 against _1633:_ unto _1635-69_, _and MSS.:_ clamat cor
istorum contra Dominum _Tr:_ ad Dominum _Vulg_]
[161 poure, for _1633 and MSS.:_ poure out _1635-69_,
_Chambers_]
[174 his, _1633:_ thy _1635-69_]
[CHAP.] _ital._ _1633_]
[182 girt] hemde _B_, _O'F_]
[186 before. _1650-69:_ before, _1633-39_]
[187 8 _Ed:_ 8. _1635-69_; _om. 1633_]
[190 mee.] mee, _1633_]
[202 perished. _1633:_ perished, _1635-69_]
[203 mournings _1633-69_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ mourning _B_]
[216 (The Lords salvation) _1633:_ _no brackets_, _1635-69_]
[226 smite; _Ed:_ smite, _1633-69_]
[229 wrung] wrong _1633_
him, _Ed:_ him. _1633-69_]
[230 this.] this: _1633_]
[231 doth] will _B_, _O'F_]
[238 not; _1650-69:_ not. _1633-35:_ not _1639_]
[239 coverest us with wrath] coverest with thy wrath _B, O'F_]
[243 47 _Ed:_ 47, _1633:_ 47. _1635-69_]
[245 watry] water _1633_]
[246 daughter _B_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ daughters _1633-69:_
propter contritionem filiae populi mei _Tr_]
[249 citys _O'F:_ city _1633-69:_ propter omnes filias
civitatis meae _Tr_]
[252 on me _B_, _N_, _TCD:_ me on _1633-69:_ projiciunt
lapides in me. _Tr:_ posuerunt lapidem super me. _Vulg_]
[256 sigh,] sight, _1650-69_]
[260 Rescud'st _B_, _O'F:_ Rescuest _1633-69_, _N_, _TCD:_
vindicabas _Tr_
now, _1633-39:_ now. _1650-69_, _Chambers_]
[CHAP.] CAP. _1633_]
[270 Purest] P _dropped_ _1650-54_]
[274 at _1633-39:_ as _1650-69_, _B_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCD:_ qui
taxandi erant auro purgatissimo _Tr_]
[278 live,] live _1633_]
[283 little children] little _om. Chambers_]
[296 Saphirine. _1635-69:_ Seraphine. _1633:_ Sapphirina
polities eorum _Tr_]
[298 streets _B_, _O'F:_ street _1633-69_, _N_, _TCD:_ in
vicis _Tr:_ in plateis _Vulg_]
[299 the _B_, _O'F:_ their _1633-69_]
[302 through penury.] by penury, _1633_, _N_, _TCD:_ confossi
gladio quam confossi fame. _Tr_ _See note_]
[304 hands _B_, _O'F:_ hand _1633-69_]
[312 so.] so; _1633_]
[316 Thorough] Through _1669_]
[318 garments _1633:_ garment _1635-69:_ quem non possunt quin
tangant vestimentis suis _Tr_]
[320 not; _O'F_, _N_, _TCD:_ not, _1633-69_]
[322 dwell there; _Ed:_ dwell; there. _1633:_ dwell there.
_1635-39:_ dwell there _1650-54:_ dwell there: _1669_]
[325 their ... the _1633-39:_ the ... their _1650-69_]
[333-4 day. 19 Eagles _Ed: The old editions place a comma
after_ day, _and_ 19 _at the beginning of_ 335,
_wrongly._]
[335 mountaine tops _1633-39:_ mountaines tops _1650-69_, _B_]
[340 fell.] fell _1633_]
[342 which _1633:_ that _1635-69_
Huz _B:_ Hus _N_, _TCD:_ her, _1633:_ _Uz_, _1635-69:_ in
terra Hutzi _Tr_]
[345 And then] And _om. Chambers_]
[CHAP.] CAP. _1633_]
[349 us;] us, _1633-35_]
[354 father _B_, _O'F:_ fathers _1633-69:_ Pupilli sumus ac
nullo patre _Tr:_ absque patre _Vulg_]
[355 drunke, _1633_, _N_, _TCD:_ drinke _1635-69_, _B_, _O'F_]
[356 lay. _1650-69:_ lay, _1633-39_]
[368 Oven _1635-69:_ Ocean _1633:_ Pelles nostrae ut furnus
atratae sunt _Tr_]
[374 fell ... bare. _1633-69:_ fall ... beare. _B_, _O'F_]
[376 15 Gone _&c._] _Old edd. transfer_ 15 _to next line,
wrongly. In consequence, the remaining verses are all a number
short, but the complete number of 22 is made up by breaking
the last verse_, 'For oughtest thou _&c._,' _into two. I
have corrected throughout._]
[389 thus,] thus _1633_]
_Hymne to God my God, in my sicknesse._
Since I am comming to that Holy roome,
Where, with thy Quire of Saints for evermore,
I shall be made thy Musique; As I come
I tune the Instrument here at the dore,
And what I must doe then, thinke here before. 5
Whilst my Physitians by their love are growne
Cosmographers, and I their Mapp, who lie
Flat on this bed, that by them may be showne
That this is my South-west discoverie
_Per fretum febris_, by these streights to die, 10
I joy, that in these straits, I see my West;
For, though theire currants yeeld returne to none,
What shall my West hurt me? As West and East
In all flatt Maps (and I am one) are one,
So death doth touch the Resurrection. 15
Is the Pacifique Sea my home? Or are
The Easterne riches? Is _Ierusalem_?
_Anyan_, and _Magellan_, and _Gibraltare_,
All streights, and none but streights, are wayes to them,
Whether where _Iaphet_ dwelt, or _Cham_, or _Sem_. 20
We thinke that _Paradise_ and _Calvarie_,
_Christs_ Crosse, and _Adams_ tree, stood in one place;
Looke Lord, and finde both _Adams_ met in me;
As the first _Adams_ sweat surrounds my face,
May the last _Adams_ blood my soule embrace. 25
So, in his purple wrapp'd receive mee Lord,
By these his thornes give me his other Crowne;
And as to others soules I preach'd thy word,
Be this my Text, my Sermon to mine owne,
Therfore that he may raise the Lord throws down. 30
[Hymn to God _&c._ _1635-69_, _S96_, _and in part
Walton_ (Life of D^{r} John Donne. 1670), _who adds_ March
23, 1630]
[2 thy _1635 and Walton_ (_1670_): the _1639-69_]
[4 the Instrument _1635-69:_ my instrument _Walton_]
[6 Whilst ... love] Since ... loves _Walton_]
[10 to die, _1635:_ to die. _1639-54:_ to dy^{.} _1669_]
[12 theire _S96:_ those _1635-69_]
[18 _Gibraltare_, _1635-54:_ Gabraltare, _1669:_ Gibraltar?
_1719_, _Chambers:_ Gibraltar are _Grosart_. _See note_]
[19 but streights, _Ed:_ but streights _1635-69_]
[24 first] sist _1669_]
[28 others souls] other souls _Walton and S96_]
[30 That, he may raise; therefore, _Walton_]
* * * * *
[Illustration: JOHN DONNE