English poem
Not Seldom, Clad In Radiant Vest
Not seldom, clad in radiant vest, Deceitfully goes forth the Morn; Not seldom Evening in the west Sinks smilingly forsworn.
The smoothest seas will sometimes prove, To the confiding Bark, untrue; And, if she trust the stars above, They can be treacherous too.
The umbrageous Oak, in pomp outspread, Full oft, when storms the welkin rend, Draws lightning down upon the head It promised to defend.
But Thou art true, incarnate Lord, Who didst vouchsafe for man to die; Thy smile is sure, thy plighted word No change can falsify!
I bent before thy gracious throne, And asked for peace on suppliant knee; And peace was given,--nor peace alone, But faith sublimed to ecstasy!
VARIANTS:
More by William Wordsworth
- Not Envying Latian Shades--If Yet They Throw
- Not Hurled Precipitous From Steep To Steep
- Not In The Lucid Intervals Of Life
- Not Love, Not War, Nor The Tumultuous Swell
- Not Without Heavy Grief Of Heart Did He
- Nuns Fret Not At Their Convent'S Narrow Room
- O Flower Of All That Springs From Gentle Blood
- O Mountain Stream! The Shepherd And His Cot