The Flowre ¶ The Flower.      How fresh, o Lord, how sweet & cleane HOw freſh, O Lord, how ſweet and clean Are thy returnes? euen as ye flowres in spring,     Are thy returns! ev’n as the flowers in ſpring;   To wch, besides their owne demeane, To which, beſides their own demean, The late-past frosts tributs of pleasures bring. The late-paſt froſts tributes of pleaſure bring.         Greife melts away, Grief melts away         Like snow in May, Like ſnow in May,   As if there were no such cold thing. As if there were no ſuch cold thing.   Who would haue thought my shriveld hart Who would have thought my ſhrivel’d heart Could haue recouerd greenenesse? it was gone Could have recover’d greenneſſe? It was gone   Quite vnder ground: as Flowres depart Quite under ground; as flowers depart To see their mother-root, when they haue blowne; To ſee their mother-root, when they have blown;         Where they together         All ye hard weather, All the hard weather, Dead to ye world, keepe house vnknowne. Dead to the world, keep houſe unknown.   These are thy wonders, Lord of Powre, Theſe are thy wonders, Lord of power, Killing, & quick’ning, bringing downe to hell, Killing and quickning, bringing down to hell   And vp to heauen in an houre: And up to heaven in an houre; Making a chiming of a passing bell Making a chiming of a paſſing-bell.         Wee say amisse, We ſay amiſſe,         This or that is, This or that is:   Thy word is all, if wee could spell. Thy word is all, if we could ſpell.   O that I once past changing were O that I once paſt changing were, Fast in thy Paradise, where no Flowre can wither, Faſt in thy Paradiſe, where no flower can wither!   Many a spring I shoot vp faire, Many a ſpring I ſhoot up fair, Offring at Heauen, growing & groning thither. Offring at heav’n, growing and groning thither:         Nor doth my Flowre Nor doth my flower         Want a spring-showre, Want a ſpring-ſhowre,   My sins & I ioyning together. My ſinnes and I joining together:   But while I grow in a strait line But while I grow in a ſtraight line, Still vpwards bent, as if heauen were mine owne, Still upwards bent, as if heav’n were mine own,   Thy anger comes, & I decline: Thy anger comes, and I decline: What frost to that? what Pole is not ye zone, What froſt to that? what pole is not the zone,         Where all things burne, Where all things burn,         When thou dost turne When thou doſt turn,   And ye least frowne of thine is showne. And the leaſt frown of thine is ſhown?   And now in Age I bud againe, And now in age I bud again, After so many deaths I liue & write, After ſo many deaths I live and write;   I once more smell ye dew & raine, I once more ſmell the dew and rain, And relish versing: O my onely Light, And reliſh verſing: O my onely light,         It cannot bee It cannot be         That I am hee, That I am he   On whom thy tempests fell all night. On whom thy tempeſts fell all night.   These are thy wonders, Lord of Loue Theſe are thy wonders, Lord of love, To make vs see, wee are but flowres, yt glide. To make us ſee we are but flowers that glide:   Wch when wee once can find & proue, Which when we once can finde and prove, Thou hast a Garden for vs, where to bide. Thou haſt a garden for us, where to bide.         Who would be more Who would be more,         Swelling through store Swelling through ſtore,   Forfett their Paradise by their Pride. Forfeit their Paradiſe by their pride.