God's Warrior
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John Bunyan PoemsThe Child and the Bird
"My little bird, how canst thou sit
And sing amidst so many thorns?
Let me but hold upon thee get,
My love with honour thee adorns.
Thou art at present little worth,
Five farthings none will give for thee;
But prithee, little bird, come forth,
Thou of more value art to me.
'Tis true, it is sunshine to-day,
To-morrow birds will have a storm:
My pretty one, come thou away,
My bosom then shall keep thee warm.
Thou subject art to cold o' nights,
When darkness is thy covering.
At day thy danger's great by kites,
How canst thou then sit there and sing?
Thy food is scarce and scanty too,
'Tis worms and trash which thou dost eat;
Thy present state I pity do,
Come, I'll provide thee better meat.
I'll feed thee with white bread and milk,
And sugar-plums, if thou them crave;
I'll cover thee with finest silk,
That from the cold I may thee save.
My father's palace shall be thine,
Yea, in it thou shalt sit and sing;
My little bird, if thou'lt be mine,
The whole year round shall be thy spring.
I'll teach thee all the notes at court,
Unthought-of music thou shalt play;
And all that thither do resort
Shall praise thee for it every day.
I'll keep thee safe from eat and cur,
No manner o' harm shall come to thee;
Yea, I will be thy succourer,
My bosom shall thy cabin be."
But lo, behold, the bird is gone!
These charmings would not make her yield;
The child's left at the bush alone,
The bird flies yonder o'er the field.
Comparison
The child of Christ an emblem is;
The bird to sinners I compare;
The thorns are like those sins of theirs
Which do surround them everywhere.
Her songs, her food, her sunshine day,
Are emblems of those foolish toys,
Which to destruction lead the way—
The fruit of worldly, empty toys.
The arguments this child doth choose
To draw to him a bird thus wild,
Shows Christ familiar speech doth use
To make the sinner reconciled.
The bird in that she takes her wing
To speed her from him after all,
Shows us vain man loves anything
Much better than the heavenly call.
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