A Wreath
A Wreath of Praise
The speaker offers a garland of praise to God, confessing his crooked ways, and asks for simplicity to know and practice God's ways so that he may exchange a poor wreath for a crown of praise.
A wreathed garland of deserved praise, of praise deserved, I give to you. I give it to you, who know all my ways, my crooked, winding ways, where I live— where I die, not live: for life is straight, straight as a line, and always tends toward you, toward you, who are farther above deceit than deceit seems above simplicity.✦1 Give me simplicity, that I may live— so live, and take pleasure in that life, that I may know your ways, know them and practice them: then I will give you, for this poor wreath, a crown of praise.2
Read the original English
A Wreathed garland of deserved praise, Of praise deserved, unto thee I give, I give to thee, who knowest all my wayes, My crooked winding wayes, wherein I live, Wherein I die, not live: for life is straight, Straight as a line, and ever tends to thee, To thee, who art more farre above deceit, Then deceit seems above simplicitie. Give me simplicitie, that I may live, So live and like, that I may know thy wayes, Know them and practise them: then shall I give For this poore wreath, give thee a crown of praise.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.139.3 — You have searched out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'Then' is early-modern spelling of comparative 'than' ('more farre above deceit / Then deceit seems…'); rendered as 'than'.
- 2 ↩Source 'live and like' pairs living with liking/approving that manner of life; rendered as 'live, and take pleasure in that life' to keep the sense without archaic 'like' as sole verb of delight.
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