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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER, by ALEXANDER POPE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Father of all! In every age Last Line: All nature incense rise! Subject(s): God; Prayer; Religion; Theology | |||
FATHER of all! in every age, In every clime adored, By saint, by savage, and sage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord! Thou great First Cause, least understood, Who all my sense confined To know but this, that thou art good, And that myself am blind; Yet gave me, in this dark estate, To see the good from ill; And, binding nature fast in fate, Left free the human will: What conscience dictates to be done, Or warns me not to do, This, teach me more than hell to shun, That, more than heaven pursue. What blessings thy free bounty gives Let me not cast away; For God is paid when man receives, To enjoy is to obey. Yet not to earth's contracted span Thy goodness let me bound, Or think thee Lord alone of man, When thousand worlds are round: Let not this weak, unknowing hand Presume thy bolts to throw, And deal damnation round the land On each I judge thy foe. If I am right thy grace impart Still in the right to stay; If I am wrong, O, teach my heart To find that better way! Save me alike from foolish pride And impious discontent At aught thy wisdom has denied, Or aught thy goodness lent. Teach me to feel another's woe, To hide the fault I see; That mercy I to others show, That mercy show to me. Mean though I am, not wholly so, Since quickened by thy breath; O, lead me wheresoe'er I go, Through this day's life or death ! This day be bread and peace my lot; All else beneath the sun, Thou knowest if best bestowed or not, And let thy will be done. To thee, whose temple is all space, Whose altar, earth, sea skies, One chorus let all Being raise, All Nature incense rise! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MYSTIC BOUNCE by TERRANCE HAYES MATHEMATICS CONSIDERED AS A VICE by ANTHONY HECHT UNHOLY SONNET 11 by MARK JARMAN SHINE, PERISHING REPUBLIC by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE COMING OF THE PLAGUE by WELDON KEES A LITHUANIAN ELEGY by ROBERT KELLY A FAREWELL TO LONDON IN THE YEAR 1715 by ALEXANDER POPE |
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