THE prayers I make will then be sweet indeed,
If Thou the spirit give by which I pray:
My unassisted heart is barren clay,
Which of its native self can nothing feed:
Of good and pious works Thou art the seed,
Which quickens only where Thou say’st it may;
Unless Thou show to us Thine own true way,
No man can find it: Father! Thou must lead.
Do Thou, then, breathe those thoughts into my mind
By which such virtue may in me be bred
That in Thy holy footsteps I may tread;
The fetters of my tongue do Thou unbind,
That I may have the power to sing of Thee,
And sound Thy praises everlastingly.
(Michelangelo Buonarroti)
More Poetry from Michelangelo Buonarroti:
Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems based on Topics: Man, Art, Self, Power, Fathers, Vice & Virtue- V. to giovanni da pistoja. (Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems)
- Xlv. _love feeds the flame of age._ (Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems)
- Vi. _invective against the people of pistoja._ (Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems)
- On The Painting Of The Sistine Chapel (Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems)
- Lxviii. to monsignor lodovico beccadelli. (Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems)
- Lxix. waiting for death. (Michelangelo Buonarroti Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Art Poems, Power Poems, Fathers Poems, Vice & Virtue Poems, Self PoemsBased on Keywords: everlastingly, unassisted