George Herbert Poems not included in The Temple* [Sonnet (II)]              Sure Lord, there is enough in thee to dry     Oceans of Ink ; for, as the Deluge did     Cover the Earth, so doth thy Majesty : Each Cloud distills thy praise, and doth forbid Poets to turn it to another use.     Roses and Lillies speak thee ; and to make     A pair of Cheeks of them, is thy abuse. Why should I Womens eyes for Chrystal take? Such poor invention burns in their low mind,     Whose fire is wild, and doth not upward go     To praise, and on thee Lord, some Ink bestow. Open the bones, and you shall nothing find     In the best face but filth, when Lord, in thee     The beauty lies, in the discovery. * From Walton's Life. This, and Sonnet I, were sent by Herbert to his mother in 1610 'as a New-years gift' ; They declare, he told her, 'my resolution to be, that my poor Abilities in Poetry shall be all, and ever consecrated to Gods glory'.   Source: Herbert, George. The English Poems of George Herbert. C. A. Patrides, Ed. London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1974. Repr. 1991. 205-206. to Works of George Herbert Site ©1996-2001 Anniina Jokinen. All Rights Reserved. Created by Anniina Jokinen on June 30, 2001.