SAINT PETERS Complaynt - by Robert Southwell: 721 - 756/792

Sleepe, deathes allye, oblivion of teares,
Silence of passions, balme of angry sore,
Suspence of loves, securitie of feares,
Wrathes lenitive, hartes ease, stormes calmest shore,
Senses and soules reprivall from all cumbers, [725]
Benumming sence of ill, with quiet slumbers.

Not such my sleepe, but whisperer of dreames,
Creating straunge chymeraes, fayning frights:
Of day discourses giving fansie theames,
To make dumme shewes with worlds of antick sights, [730]
Casting true griefes in fansies forging mold,
Brokenly telling tales rightly fore-told.

This sleepe most fitly suteth sorrowes bed,
Sorrow, the smart of evill, Sinnes eldest child:
Best, when unkind in killing whom it bred, [735]
A racke, for guilty thoughtes, a bit, for wild.
The scourge that whips, the salve that cures offence:
Sorrow, my bed, and home, while life hath sence.

Here solitary Muses nurse their griefes,
In silent lonenesse burying worldly noyse, [740]
Attentive to rebukes, deafe to reliefes,
Pensive to foster cares, carelesse of joyes:
Ruing lifes losse under deathes dreary roofes,
Solemnizing my funerall behoofes.

A selfe contempt, the shroud: my soule the corse: [745]
The beere, an humble hope: the herse cloth, feare:
The mourners, thoughtes, in blackes of deepe remorse:
The herse, grace, pittie, love, and mercy beare.
My teares, my dole: the priest, a zealous will:
Penance, the tombe, and dolefull sighes the knill. [750]

Christ, health of fever'd soule, heaven of the minde,
Force of the feeble, nurse of Infant loves,
Guide to the wandring foot, light to the blind,
Whom weeping winnes, repentant sorrow moves,
Father in care, mother in tender hart: [755]
Revive and save me slaine with sinnefull dart.

Note

[l724] lenitive: Anything that softens or soothes; a palliative.

[l725] reprivall: reprieval -  A reprieve, a respite; (also) the action of reprieving a person or the fact of being reprieved.

[l725] cumbers: The condition of being cumbered; overthrow, destruction, rout. Obsolete.Trouble, distress, embarrassment, inconvenience. Obsolete or arch.

[l728] fayning: to feign - To invent (a story, excuse, accusation).

[l730] dumme shows: In the early drama, A part of a play represented by action without speech, chiefly in order to exhibit more of the story than could otherwise be included, but sometimes merely emblematical. 1603   Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 12   The ignorant, who for the Most parte are capable of nothing but dumbe shewes and noises.

[l730] antick:  Grotesque, in composition or shape; grouped or figured with fantastic incongruity; bizarre.

[l744] behoofes: behoof - What it behoves one to do; obligation, duty. Obsolete. rare.1591   R. Southwell Marie Magdalens Funeral Teares f. 52v   It considereth behoofe, more than benefite, and what in dutie it shoulde, not what in deede it can.

[l745] corse: corpse.

[l746] beere: bier.

[l750] knill: knell.