William Cowper Poems

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
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A Nightingale that all day long
Had cheered the village with his song,
Nor yet at eve his note suspended,
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(Phillipians, iv.11)

Fierce passions discompose the mind,
As tempests vex the sea,
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The lapse of time and rivers is the same,
Both speed their journey with a restless stream;
The silent pace, with which they steal away,
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Too many, Lord, abuse Thy grace
In this licentious day,
And while they boast they see Thy face,
They turn their own away.
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I am just two and two, I am warm, I am cold,
And the parent of numbers that cannot be told.
I am lawful, unlawful -- a duty, a fault,
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Dear Joseph,-- five and twenty years ago--
Alas! how time escapes -- 'tis even so!--
With frequent intercourse and always sweet
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The Saviour hides His face;
My spirit thirsts to prove
Renew'd supplies of pardoning grace,
And never-fading love.
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Heu inimicitias quoties parit æmula forma,
Quam raro pulchrae, pulchra placere potest!
Sed fines ultrà solitos discordia tendit,
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Hatred and vengence—my eternal portion
Scarce can endure delay of execution—
Wait with impatient readiness to seize my
Soul in a moment.
...