Southwell: The Epiphanye

To blase the rising of this glorious sunne
A glittringe starre appeareth in the Easte
Whose sight to Pilgrimm toyles three sages wunne
To seeke the light they long had in requeste
And by this starre to nobler starr they pace
Whose armes did their desired sunne embrace

Stall was the skye wherein these planetts shynde
And want the cloude that did eclipse their rayes
Yet through this cloude their light did passage finde
And perc'd these sages harts by secret waies
Which made them knowe the ruler of the skyes
By infant tongue and lookes of babish eyes.

Heaven at her light, earth blusheth at her pride
And of their pompe these peeres ashamed bee
Their crownes, their robes their trayne they sett aside
When gods poor Cotage clouts and crewe they see
All glorious thinges their glory now dispise
Sith god contempt doth more than glory prize.

Three giftes they bringe three giftes they beare awaye
For incense myrrhe and gould, faith hope and love
And with their gifts the givers hartes do staye
Their mynde from Christ no parting can remove
His humble state, his stall his poore retynewe
They phancie more, then all their ritch revenewe.

Notes

And by this starre to nobler starr they pace. JJ Tissot, Brooklyn Museum

[Title] Epiphanye: late Latin epiphania, neuter plural (but often used as feminine singular), < late Greek ἐπιϕάνια (neuter plural of adjective *ἐπιϕάνιος), < ἐπιϕαίνειν to manifest, < ἐπί to + ϕαίνειν to show.

[l1] blase: blaze - To proclaim (as with a trumpet), to publish, divulge, make known.

[ll3-4]:  The sense would seem to be: Three sages, through their determined effort and toil, were favoured with sight of the glittering star in the East. They had spent a long time in the quest for the light of this star.

[ll5-6]: They follow the star, making their way to Mary, a nobler star (Stella Maris), whose arms enfold the sought for Sun of Justice.

[ll7-8]: One possible explanation of these lines is as follows. The created sun and stars shine in the physical firmament. Down on earth, Christ the Sun of Justice and Mary, Star of the Sea, have a stall (or primitive home) for their sky in which they ('these planets') shine. The poverty of the setting and of the Holy Family might have masked, like a cloud, the light of their souls. The poverty might have been a particular problem for the richly vested sages, with all their fine accoutrements. See the next verse.

Infant tongue and lookes of babish eyes. JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Mus

[ll10-12]: But the cloud of poverty did not prevent the light from piercing the sages' hearts in secret ways, enabling them to recognise God, the ruler of the skies, through His infant sounds and looks.

[l13] her: 'their'. The genitive case of the third person plural personal pronoun : of them; of themselves. Heaven and earth blush at their pride, the pride of the richly clad sages.

[l16] clouts: 'clout' - A small piece or shred produced by tearing or rending; in later use chiefly a shred of cloth, a rag. Applied contemptuously to any article of clothing; in plural clothes.

[l16] crewe: A number of persons classed together (by the speaker) from actual connection or common characteristics; often with derogatory qualification or connotation; lot, set, gang, mob, herd.

[l18] contempt: God looks favourably upon those who are poor and lowly in the eyes of the world and viewed with 'contempt.

[23] Then Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. [24] And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 19]

[l23] retynewe: retinue. A group of people (or animals) in the service of or accompanying a person, esp. a sovereign, noble, or person in authority; a train, a suite. The little baby is Christ the King, the Prince of Peace, of the royal house of David; His mother is a Queen;  but his 'retinue' is 'poore'.

[l24] revenewe: revenue, with stress on penultimate syllable: revénue.