poetry of edward taylor

Poetry of Edward Taylor

Huswifery*
Edward Taylor, 1683

Make mee, O Lord, thy Spinning Wheele complete.
Thy Holy Words my Distaff* make for mee.
Make mine Affections* thy Swift Flyers* neate
And make my Soule thy holy Spoole to bee.
My Conversation make to be thy Reele*
And reele the yarn thereon Spun of thy Wheele.

Make mee thy Loome then, knit therein this Twine:
And make thy Holy Spirit, Lord, winde quills:*
Then weave the Web thyselfe. The yarn is fine.
Thine Ordinances* make my Fulling Mills.*
Then dy the same in Heavenly Colors Choice.
All pinkt* with Varnished Flowers of Paradise.

Then cloath therewith mine Understanding, Will,
Affections, Judgment, Conscience, Memory
My Words, and Actions, that their Shine may fill
My ways with glory and thee glorify.
Then mine apparell shall display before yee
That I am Cloathd in Holy robes for glory.

______________

1. Huswifery n: Housekeeping.
2. Distaff n.: A staff on which raw flax or wool is wound for use in spinning
3. Affections: emotions
4. Flyers n.: The part of a spinning wheel which twists fibers into yarn
5. Reele n: The spool of a spinning wheel, on which thread or yarn is wound.

6. quills n.: A weaver's spindles or bobbins.

7. Ordinances: Sacraments
8. Fulling Mills n.: Mills used for cleaning and thickening cloth.

9. pinkt: Decorated

Upon a Spider Catching a Fly
Edward Taylor, 1682

Thou Sorrow, venom Elfe
Is this thy ploy,
To Spin a web out of thyselfe
To Catch a Fly?
For Why?

I saw a pettish wasp
Fall foule therein.
Whom yet thy whorlepins* did not [clasp]
Lest he should fling
His Sting.

But as affraid, remote
Didst Stand hereat
And with thy little fingers stroke
And gently tap
His back.

Thus gently him didst treate
Lest he Should pet,
And in a froppish,* waspish heate
Should greatly fret
Thy net.

Whereas the Silly Fly,
Caught by its leg
Thou by the throate tookst hastily
And 'hinde the head
Bite Dead.

This goes to pot, that not
Nature doth call.
Strive not above what strength hath got
Lest in the brawle
Thou fall.

This Frey seems thus to us
Hells Spider gets
His intrails Spun to whip Cords thus
And wove to nets
And sets.

To tangle Adams race
In's Stratigems
To their Destructions, Spoil'd made base
By venom things
Damn'd Sins.

But mighty, Gracious Lord
Communicate
Thy Grace to breake the Cord afford
Us Glorys Gate
And State.

We'l Nightingaile Sing like
When pearcht on high
In Glories Cage, thy glory, bright,
[And] thankfully,
For joy.

____________

1. whorlepins: The whorlepin holds the whorle, a small flywheel used to regulate the speed of a spinning wheel's spindle.
2. froppish: Peevish.