| Henry Charles Beeching, ed. (1859–1919). Lyra Sacra: A Book of Religious Verse. 1903. | | | | Desert | | By Henry Vaughan (1622–1695) |
| | | I HAVE deserved a thick Egyptian damp, | |
| Dark as my deeds, | |
| Should mist within me, and put out that lamp | |
| Thy spirit feeds; | |
| A darting conscience full of stabs and fears, | 5 |
| No shade but yew, | |
| Sullen and sad eclipses, cloudy spheres, | |
| These are my due. | |
| But He that with His blood, a price too dear, | |
| My scores did pay, | 10 |
| Bid me, by virtue from Him, challenge here | |
| The brightest day; | |
| Sweet, downy thoughts, soft lily-shades, calm streams, | |
| Joys full and true, | |
| Fresh spicy mornings and eternal beams, | 15 |
| These are His due. | | | | |
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