A dove is always cooing praises to the Lord...

A dove is always cooing praises to the Lord, Upon a tree, so long as day may light afford. A nightingale sings hymns, God's name to bless alway. For unto Thee he trusts, Who hearest us when we pray. A falcon, when he sits upon a royal fist, No longer stoops to carrion, wherewith to subsist. And so from gnat to elephant like state we find, 50 They all depend on God, the best of feeders’ kind." "All those anxieties that fall on us like darts, Are but the vapours, tempests, of our human hearts.

Those cares are like a sickle, made to cut us down. This is a fact, though we are slow the truth to own. Our ev’ry suffering, here, a portion is of death. This part of death, then, drive away whilst thou hast breath. If from this part of death thou findst thou canst not run; Thou’rt sure whole death will follow, as the light the sun. If thou canst learn to think this part of death is sweet, 55 Thou knowest that God will make its whole thy tastes to meet.

Our troubles are the heralds of our death to come. Turn not thy face away from herald, as do some." "Whoever leads a joyous life finds death severe. And he who's slave to body, mars his soul's career. When sheep come home from pasture in the meadows green, The fattest ones are slaughtered, soon as they are seen. The night is spent, the morn is come, my bosom friend, When wilt thou bring thy grumbling gossip to an end?

Once thou wert young, and more content a hundred-fold; Then covetous becamest, though thyself art gold. 60 A fruitful vine thou wert; a blight's come over thee; Thy fruit will never ripe, ’twill shrivel on the tree. Sweet fruit, with flavour, give, thy inward worth to prove. Thou backwards shouldst not walk, as ropemakers all move. Thou art my helpmate fond; and fellow-workers all, Of one mind still should be, or their joint work must fall. A pair should ever be conformable in aim.

A pair of shoes examine; pair of boots, the same. If one boot of a pair be too small for the foot, The pair is useless; vain, the other's size to moot. 65 One boot is small; the other, ’haps, too large is found. Hast ever known a lion consort with a hound? Two packs upon a camel equipoise require; The one must not be half, the other bale entire.

I choose the road that leads straight to contentment's door, Why takest thou the path to sin and misery's floor?" The woman's husband, suffering, but resigned still, Thus spake unto his wife, to calm her restive will. The woman raised a shout: "O man of simple mind!