God, "Who view'st each thought yet lab'ring in my mind, / Say, in what secret cell,
/ Far from the glance of feeble human kind, / Doth pure religion dwell?"— Ellis, George (1753-1815)
Author
Place of Publication
Bath
Publisher
Printed and Sold by R. Cruttwell; Sold also by F. Newbery
Date
1778
Metaphor
God, "Who view'st each thought yet lab'ring in my mind, / Say, in what secret cell,
/ Far from the glance of feeble human kind, / Doth pure religion dwell?"
/ Far from the glance of feeble human kind, / Doth pure religion dwell?"
Metaphor in Context
Meanwhile, amid the deepening shade,
With downcast eyes, and aching breast,
The youthful Usbeck stray'd.
With rage his country's wrongs he saw,
His God degraded, and mankind oppress'd,
By stern Mohammed's law.
"O thou, all-seeing pow'r," (he cried)
"Who view'st each thought yet lab'ring in my mind,
"Say, in what secret cell,
"Far from the glance of feeble human kind,
"Doth pure religion dwell?
"Ah where doth truth reside?
"Speak, pitying pow'r! and let that awful breath
"Which clears the sullied face of day,
"Sweep with resistless force these fanes away,
"By superstition rais'd and bought with death!
"Beneath their ruins crush each impious priest,
"Who reeling from th' unhallow'd feast,
"Presumes his guilty hands to raise
"In all the mockery of pray'r.
"Let thy whole race the father's bounties share,
"All earth thy temple, all our bliss thy praise."
With downcast eyes, and aching breast,
The youthful Usbeck stray'd.
With rage his country's wrongs he saw,
His God degraded, and mankind oppress'd,
By stern Mohammed's law.
"O thou, all-seeing pow'r," (he cried)
"Who view'st each thought yet lab'ring in my mind,
"Say, in what secret cell,
"Far from the glance of feeble human kind,
"Doth pure religion dwell?
"Ah where doth truth reside?
"Speak, pitying pow'r! and let that awful breath
"Which clears the sullied face of day,
"Sweep with resistless force these fanes away,
"By superstition rais'd and bought with death!
"Beneath their ruins crush each impious priest,
"Who reeling from th' unhallow'd feast,
"Presumes his guilty hands to raise
"In all the mockery of pray'r.
"Let thy whole race the father's bounties share,
"All earth thy temple, all our bliss thy praise."
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "cell" in HDIS (Poetry); found again thought
Date of Entry
08/10/2005
