Praise (III)
The Heart’s Vow of Unceasing Praise
The speaker pledges to offer praise endlessly, even wringing sighs and groans when words fail.
Lord, I will set my mind on your praise and speak it—your praise alone.1 My busy heart will spin it all my days; and when it stops for lack of material, then I will wring it with a sigh or groan, so that you may still have more.2
God’s Blessing and Hindrance
God’s favor multiplies human effort while his withdrawal makes all striving futile.
When you favor any action, it runs, it flies: all things come together to bring it to perfection. What had only two legs before, when you bless it, has twelve: one wheel then rises to twenty, or more.3 But when you blow on business, it hangs, it clogs: not all the teams of Albion in a row can haul or drag it out the door. Legs are only stumps, and Pharaoh's wheels only logs, and struggling only hinders more.
The Tear Bottle: Divine Attention and Christ’s Sacrifice
Despite ruling the cosmos, God hears the speaker’s cry, saves every tear, and Christ’s own tear fills the bottle to overflowing.
Thousands of things keep you busy ruling all this spacious globe: angels must have their joy, devils their rod, the sea its shore, the winds their limit—and yet when I called, you heard my call, and more.4 I haven't lost a single tear: but when my eyes wept toward heaven, they found a bottle there (as we have boxes for the poor), ready to take them in—yet large enough to hold much more. But after you let a tear slip from your right eye — which hung there like streamers near the ceiling of a beautiful church, to show the painful and bloody battle you once endured — the glass was full and overflowing.✦5
The Song That Multiplies Praise
The speaker resolves to sing and desires to enlist others to increase the store of praise offered to God.
That's why I sing. Yet since my heart, though pressed, still runs thin—oh, that I might convert some other hearts, and so take up a good store at interest, so that into your chests there might come both all my praise, and more!6
Read the original English
Lord, I will mean and speak thy praise, Thy praise alone. My busie heart shall spin it all my dayes: And when it stops for want of store, Then will I wring it with a sigh or grone, That thou mayst yet have more.
When thou dost favour any action, It runnes, it flies: All things concurre to give it a perfection. That which had but two legs before, When thou dost blesse, hath twelve: one wheel doth rise To twentie then, or more.
But when thou dost on businesse blow, It hangs, it clogs: Not all the teams of Albion in a row Can hale or draw it out of doore. Legs are but stumps, and Pharaohs wheels but logs, And struggling hinders more.
Thousands of things do thee employ In ruling all This spacious globe: Angels must have their joy, Devils their rod, the sea his shore, The windes their stint: and yet when I did call, Thou heardst my call, and more.
I have not lost one single tear: But when mine eyes Did weep to heav'n, they found a bottle there (As we have boxes for the poore) Readie to take them in; yet of a size That would contain much more.
But after thou hadst slipt a drop From thy right eye, (Which there did hang like streamers neare the top Of some fair church to show the sore And bloudie battell which thou once didst trie) The glasse was full and more.
Wherefore I sing. Yet since my heart, Though press'd, runnes thin; O that I might some other hearts convert, And so take up at use good store: That to thy chests there might be coming in Both all my praise, and more!
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.56.8 — You have kept count of my wanderings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'mean' here is purposeful intention (to intend / have in mind), paired with outward speech—not 'mean' as unkind or average.
- 2 ↩Herbert's spinning/wringing image treats the heart as a wheel that threads praise, then squeezes out still more when the supply runs short—kept as a concrete craft metaphor, not paraphrased away.
- 3 ↩The legs/wheels image is figurative multiplication of power under blessing (soon answered by clogged Pharaoh-wheels in the next stanza); not a literal creature.
- 4 ↩Early modern 'stint' means allotted bound or measure, not thrift. Rendered as 'limit' for the winds' appointed restraint.
- 5 ↩glasse continues the previous stanza’s bottle for tears: one drop from God’s right eye fills it past capacity. trie = endure/undergo (not merely attempt).
- 6 ↩“take up at use good store” is an early-modern financial idiom: to take capital at interest. Herbert’s conceit is that converting other hearts multiplies the return of praise paid into God’s treasure chests (principal and interest: “all my praise, and more”). “Convert” carries both spiritual turning and commercial exchange.
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