Christes sleeping frendes - by Robert Southwell

When Christ with care and pangues of death oprest
From frighted flesh a bloody sweate did raine,
And full of feare without repose or reste
In agonye did praye and watch in payne
Three sundry tymes he his Disciples findes [5]
With heavy eies, but farre more heavy myndes.

With milde rebuke he warnéd them to wake
Yet sleep did still their drousy sences hould
As when the sunne the brightest shewe doth make
In darkest shroudes the night birdes them infold [10]
His foes did watch to worke their cruell spyght
His drowsye frendes slept in his hardest plighte

As Jonas sayled once from Joppes Shoare
A boystrous tempest in the ayre did broyle
The waves did rage the thundring heavens did rore [15]
The stormes, the rockes, the lightninges threatned spoyle
The Shipp was billowes game and chaunces praye
Yett careles Jonas mute and sleepinge laye

So now though Judas like a blustringe gust
Doe stirre the furious sea of Jeweshe Ire [20]
Though storming troopes in quarrells mpst unjust
Against the barke of all our blisse conspire
Yett these disciples sleepinge lie secure
As though their wonted calme still did endure.

So Jonas once his weary lymmes to reste [25]
Did shroude himself in pleasant Ivy shade
But loe, while him a heavy sleepe opprest
His shadowy bowre to withered stalke did fade
A cankered Worme had gnawen the roote away
And brought the glorious Braunches to decay. [30]

O gratious plante. O tree of heavenly springe
The paragon for leafe, for fruite and floure
How sweete a shadow did thy braunches bringe
To shroude these soules that chose the for their boure
But now while they with Jonas fall a sleepe [35]
To spoyle their plant an envious worme doth creepe

Awake ye slumbring wightes lift upp your eyes
Marke Judas how to teare your roote he strives
Alas the glory of your arbour dyes
Arise and gard the comfort of your lives [40]
No Jonas Ivye no Zacheus Tree
Were to the world so greate a losse as hee.

Notes

Could you not watch one hour with me? JJ Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

[Background]:The title of the poem is a reference in one sense to the account given in the gospels of the disciples' inability to stay awake and watch with the Lord as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane; in another sense, to the importance for us all to stay awake:

[38] Watch ye, and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. [Mark 14]

Here are excerpts from the Gospel accounts:

[45] And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow.[46] And he said to them: Why sleep you? arise, pray, lest you enter into temptation. [Luke 22]

[40] And he cometh to his disciples, and findeth them asleep, and he saith to Peter: What? Could you not watch one hour with me? [41] Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak. [42] Again the second time, he went and prayed, saying: My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it, thy will be done. [43] And he cometh again and findeth them sleeping: for their eyes were heavy. [44] And leaving them, he went again: and he prayed the third time, saying the selfsame word. [45] Then he cometh to his disciples, and saith to them: Sleep ye now and take your rest; behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.[Matthew 26]

[37] And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping. And he saith to Peter: Simon, sleepest thou? couldst thou not watch one hour? [38] Watch ye, and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. [39] And going away again, he prayed, saying the same words. [40] And when he returned, he found them again asleep, (for their eyes were heavy,) and they knew not what to answer him.[41] And he cometh the third time, and saith to them: Sleep ye now, and take your rest. It is enough: the hour is come: behold the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.[Mark 14]

[l10] shroudes:  'Shroud' bears a variety of possible senses in this context, by no means exclusive:
In generalized use: Clothing, vesture, covering. A winding-sheet. Plumage. Obsolete. The branches of a tree, considered as affording shade. Obsolete. 1597 M. Drayton Englands Heroicall Epist. f. 49 v   Where like a mounting Cedar he should beare His plumed top, aloft into the ayre; And let these shrubs sit vnderneath his shrowdes.

[l10] night birdes: nocturnal birds, eg owls (which in Leviticus 11 are numbered among the birds to be avoided).

[l11] spyght: spite - A strong feeling of hatred or ill-will; intense grudge or desire to injure; rancorous or envious malice.

[l13] Jonas: is the fifth of the minor prophets. This verse is a reference to an incident recounted in the Book which bears his name. In the opening verse, it is stated that

[1] Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas the son of Amathi, saying: [2] Arise, and go to Ninive the great city, and preach in it: for the wickedness thereof is come up before me.  [Jonah 1]

But the Prophet, instead of obeying the Divine command, tried to run away.

[3] And Jonas rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord. [4] But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken. [5] And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jonas went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.[Jonah 1]

(Later, on his admission that he is the cause of it, he is cast overboard. He is swallowed by a great fish providentially prepared for the purpose, and after a three day's sojourn in the belly of the monster, during which time he composes a hymn of thanksgiving, he is cast upon dry land.)

[l16] spoyle: The action or fact of spoiling or damaging; damage, harm, impairment, or injury, esp. of a serious or complete kind. Now rare. 1592   T. Kyd Trueth Murthering of Brewen 6   'It is thou and no man else that can triumph in my spoyle.'

[l17] praye: prey.

[ll19-24]: The disciples are compared to Jonas. Jonas received the word of God giving him a mission to preach in Nineveh because of sin. The disciples received a warning from the Word of God to watch and pray that they enter not into the temptation of sin. Jonas 'mute and sleepinge laye' in the midst of the storm threatening his ship and the lives of those on board. The disciples slept in the midst of the storm of anger of Judas and other Jews,threatening the 'barke of all our bliss' (Christ)  and their own lives (salvation).

[ll25-30] Background scripture: Jonah preached in Nineveh as the Lord had commanded, warning that ther city would be destroyed in yet forty days. The king and citizens listened and began a fast, putting on sack cloth and ashes. God showed mercy on Nineveh but Jonah was angry and exceedingly troubled because he feared he would be regarded as a false prophet. In reality, the conversion of Ninive, a city of gentiles, was an earnest of that of the all gentiles.

[5] Then Jonas went out of the city, and sat toward the east side of the city: and he made himself a booth there, and he sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would befall the city. [6] And the Lord God prepared an ivy, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, and to cover him (for he was fatigued), and Jonas was exceeding glad of the ivy. [7] But God prepared a worm, when the morning arose on the following day: and it struck the ivy and it withered.

[8] And when the sun was risen, the Lord commanded a hot and burning wind: and the sun beat upon the head of Jonas, and he broiled with the heat: and he desired for his soul that he might die, and said: It is better for me to die than to live. [9] And the Lord said to Jonas: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry, for the ivy? And he said: I am angry with reason even unto death. [10] And the Lord said: Thou art grieved for the ivy, for which thou hast not laboured, nor made it to grow, which in one night came up, and in one night perished. [Jonah 4]

Here is an excerpt from Haydock commentary:

In this history and prediction, who would have thought that Jonas had been a figure of our Saviour's death and resurrection, if he himself had not declared it?  Mat. xii.  W. --- The prophet comes out of the fish alive, as Christ does from the tomb.  He was cast into the sea to save those on board; Christ dies for the redemption of mankind.  Jonas had been ordered to preach, but did not comply till after his escape; thus the gospel was designed to be preached to the Gentiles, yet Christ would not have it done till he had risen.  Mat. xv. 26.  The prophet's grief intimates the jealousy of the Jews; as his shade destroyed, points out the law, which leaves them in the greatest distress.  The very name fish, icquV, is a monogram of "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a Saviour, (C.) or crucified." H.  S. Paulinus, ep. 33.  --- Hence Jonas most strikingly foreshowed Christ.  S. Aug. de civ. Dei. xviii. 30.

[l25] So Jonas... :  like the 'night birdes' in l10, like Jonah himself in the hold of the ship and like the disciples in the garden.

[l25] lymmes: limbs

[l27] loe: lo

[l29] Cankered: Characterized by bad mood or feeling; malignant, spiteful, envious; (also) bad-tempered, cross. Infected with evil; corrupt, depraved. This may be a reference to the jealousy referred to in Hadock's commentary above, embodied in Judas and the Jews who sought Christ's death.

[l31] O tree of heavenly springe: Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life; recalling too the tree of life in another garden, that of Eden.

[l32] paragon:  An object of outstanding quality or value; an object which serves as a model of some quality.

[l36]: See l29 note above.

[l42] Zacheus Tree: The account of Zacheus is in Luke 19:

[1] And entering in, he walked through Jericho. [2] And behold, there was a man named Zacheus, who was the chief of the publicans, and he was rich. [3] And he sought to see Jesus who he was, and he could not for the crowd, because he was low of stature. [4] And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, that he might see him; for he was to pass that way. [5] And when Jesus was come to the place, looking up, he saw him, and said to him: Zacheus, make haste and come down; for this day I must abide in thy house. [Luke 19]

Context

Those who actively resisted the cruel and rapacious persecution of the Catholic clergy faithful under Elizabeth I were not very numerous. The majority 'closed their eyes' to the changes for a variety of very human motives. The poem may well be a 'wake up' call to this 'silent' majority. By way of extension, the words and sentiments must surely strike home in our own hearts and stir us to be ever watchful over our own souls and those in our charge by reason of our state in life.

Awake ye slumbring wightes lift upp your eyes
Marke Judas how to teare your roote he strives
Alas the glory of your arbour dyes
Arise and gard the comfort of your lives [40]