In Salem dwelt a glorious King,
Raised from a shepherd's lowly state;
That did His praises like an angel
Who did the World create.
By many great and bloody
He was advanced unto
But more delighted in the
Than in the splendour of his precious stones;
Nor gold nor silver did his eye
The Works of God were his sublime reward,2A warlike champion he had been,
And many feats of
Had done: in kingly courts his eye had seenA vast variety Of earthly joys:
Yet he despis'd Those fading honours, and false
Which are by mortals so much prized;
And placed his happiness in other
No state of life which in this world we
Could yield contentment to his greater
His fingers touched his trembling lyre,
And every quavering string did yieldA sound that filled all the Jewish quire,
And echoed in the field.
No pleasure was so great to
As in a silent night to
The moon and stars:
A
Above them, even here, he seem'd to be:
Enflam'd with Love it was his great desire,
To sing, contemplate, ponder, and
He was a prophet, and foresaw Things extant in the world to come:
He was a judge, and ruled by a
That than the
Was sweeter far: he was a sage,
And all his people could advise;
An oracle, whose every
Contained in verse the greatest mysteries;
But most he then enjoyed himself when
Did as a poet praise the Deity.5A shepherd, soldier, and divine,
A judge, a courtier, and a king,
Priest, angel, prophet, oracle, did
At once when he did sing.
Philosopher and poet
Did in his melody appear;
All these in him did please the
Of those that did his heavenly music
And every drop that from his flowing
Came down, did all the world with nectar
He had a deep and perfect
Of all the glories and the
That in God's works are hid: the
Of such transcendent
Made him on earth an heavenly king,
And filled his solitudes with joy ;
He never did more sweetly
Than when alone, though that doth mirth destroy Sense did his soul with heavenly life inspire,
And made him seem in God's celestial
Rich, sacred, deep and precious
Did here on earth the man surround:
With all the Glory of the King of
He was most strangely crowned.
His clear soul and open sight Among the Sons of God did see Things filling Angels with delight:
His ear did hear their heavenly melody,
And when he was alone he all became That Bliss implied, or did increase his
All arts he then did exercise;
And as his God he did
By secret ravishments above the
He carried was
He died.
His soul did see and
What others know not; and became,
While he before his God did kneel,
A constant, heavenly, pure, seraphic flame.
Oh that I might unto his throne aspire,
And all his joys above the stars admire!
