L'Envoy
The Shepherd's Prayer
The poet petitions Christ the King to protect the flock from Sin's ravages, invoking the power of the Cross and the victory of Christ's death.
King of Glory, King of Peace: with the one, make war cease; with the other, bless your sheep—to love you, and to sleep in you. Don't let sin devour your flock, bragging that your blood has grown cold, that your death is dead as well, while his conquests spread day by day—that your flesh has lost its food, and your Cross is just common wood.1 Choke him; let him say no more. Just keep his breath in reserve until your victories and his downfall make his sighs spend it all—and then let him bargain with the wind to pay out what is left.2
Doxology and Conclusion
A doxology to the triune God concludes the poem, followed by a simple 'The End' marking the close of the work.
Blessed be God alone, thrice-blessed Three in One.✦ The End.
Read the original English
KIng of Glorie, King of Peace, With the one make warre to cease; With the other blesse thy sheep, Thee to love, in thee to sleep. Let not Sinne devoure thy fold, Bragging that thy bloud is cold, That thy death is also dead, While his conquests dayly spread; That thy flesh hath lost his food, And thy Crosse is common wood. Choke him, let him say no more, But reserve his breath in store, Till thy conquests and his fall Make his sighs to use it all, And then bargain with the winde To discharge what is behinde.
Blessed be God alone, Thrice blessed Three in One.
FINIS.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Isa.6.3 — And one called to another and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the fullness of the earth is his glory.
Notes
- 1 ↩'thy flesh hath lost his food' uses early modern 'his' for 'its': Sin boasts that Christ's flesh no longer nourishes (or no longer has nourishment). The phrasing may glance at Eucharistic feeding without naming the Sacrament.
- 2 ↩'bargain with the winde / To discharge what is behinde' is figurative: after defeat, Sin is left dealing with empty air to pay out whatever breath remains. 'discharge' kept as settle/pay out; 'behinde' as what remains.
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