Selected Poems of Madame Guyon By Madame Guyon With an Original Introduction, Foreword, and Biographical Section by the Publisher

and Kelli M. Webert, MA FREE PDF PREVIEW EXCERPT About 20 %

eBook Edition Copyright 2012 by TiLu Press TiLu Press |Portland, OR USA | Shanghai, CN For Inquiries, Contact: info@tilupress.com This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission. All rights reserved. About This Work & Notice of Copyright: The poetic work in this volume reflects poetry by Madame Guyon that was published in 1834 and 1847. The English translation (from French) was done by William Cowper. The poetry selections are from two previously published works that are both out of copyright. First, in 1834 we have: Poems of Madame Guion which was published by Day Publishers. Second, from a work that was published in 1847, we find some of Madame Guyons poems in a two volume set. That set: The Life and Religious Opinions and Experience of Madame de La Motte Guyon was written by the early American psychologist, Thomas C. Upham. That work was published by Harper, New York. This 2012 edition also includes additional front material that is original content to this work. This includes an Introduction by the publisher of this edition, and a Foreword: Mystics, Mysticism, and the Christian Experience, as well as a brief biographical piece about Madame Guyon is by Kelli M. Webert. The rights of TiLu Press and Kelli M. Webert to be identified as the authors of the introduction and the two aforementioned chapters of Selected Poems of Madame Guyon has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. This additional content should also be considered annotative content that comments upon the poems in this book, as well as helping readers to understand the Christian life and experiences of the woman that wrote the poetry herein. As an eBook, the entire work herein has been formatted, edited, and optimized for eReaders in both its ePub and MOBI file versions. Only a few words that were blurred in the original texts have been corrected, otherwise the selected poems in this collection have been preserved in their original usage and terminology. Edited by Ding Na and assisted by Tim Kavi. Shanghai, CN 2012.

Table of contents Introduction: Foreword: Mysticism, Mystics, and the Christian Experience Some Brief Thoughts About Madame Guyon A LITTLE BIRD I AM (TU) LOVE CONSTITUTES MY CRIME (TU) GOD'S LOVE AND GOODNESS* (TU) GOD THE FOUNTAIN OF LOVE TO HIS CHILDREN (TU) THE ACQUIESCENCE OF PURE LOVE PRISONS DO NOT EXCLUDE GOD (TU) GOD KNOWN BY LOVING HIM (TU) GLORY TO GOD ALONE (TU) THE ENTIRE SURRENDER (TU) THE LIGHT ABOVE US (TU) DIVINE LOVE. THE SPRING. THE SHEPHERD. THE HIDDEN LIFE. THE SUNBEAM. THE HERMIT. A PILGRIM'S THOUGHT. THE CELL. GOOD OUT OF EVIL.

THE SERPENT. SUBMISSION. THE REFUGE. THE GOSPEL. ALWAYS PREPARING. TALES OF JOY AND SORROW. RICH AND POOR. EVER AT HOME. DAILY BREAD. THE HIDDEN SPARK. THE BLESSED CROSS SINCERITY. RESIGNATION. TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW. CONSTANT PRAYER. THE INNER TEMPLE. RUN AND BE NOT WEARY. THE BROKEN WILL. INGRATITUDE. TRUST AND FOLLOW. NATURE AND GRACE. COME AS THOU ART. SIMPLICITY.

DUTY OF THE DAY. THE ABYSS. THE CROSS.

Introduction Madame Guyon (1648-1717), also known as Jeanne Guyon, was a Christian mystic and prayer warrior, who believed that one's life with Christ should be centered in constant prayer. She influenced many famous Christians, including John Wesley. In one of her poems (in this collection) she stated: "There was a period when I chose a time and place for prayer. But now I seek that constant prayer, in inward stillness..." (from her poem, Constant Prayer-found in this volume).-Ed. You will be moved by these poems that speak of the devotional life and experiences of this inspiring woman who transcended multiple losses only to find herself imprisoned by the religious authorities of her time for a period of at least 7 years. After her release, she spent the next 15 years living in silence, prayer, and contemplation with her child, during which time she mostly wrote poems. This work includes selections of her poems (some also written in prison) that speak of the depths of her relationship with Christ and prayer. Selections in this work were drawn from two sources (one in two volumes) that included translations of her poems. Both resources are not in copyright at this time. First, they were drawn from the collection of her poetry 'Poems of Madame Guyon' that was translated by William Cowper and published in 1831. This collection also includes poem selections from the early American Psychologist Thomas Cogwheel Upham, who wrote his own book of Christian poetry, studied the mystical experience, and mentioned that he found the life of Madame Guyon an inspiration. Upham was so inspired that he wrote a two volume work about Madame Guyon that he entitled: 'Life and Religious Opinions and Experiences of Madame Guyon' that was published in 1847. In this two volume work which most would consider primarily a biography, Upham regularly inserted Guyon's poems as sources of inspiration. Selection for inclusion in this work that you have here before you also included the following considerations: that chosen works must exemplify her life experiences, her deep faith, and reveal the state of her mystic union with Christ and the divine. As a whole, this work offers unique selections from the poetic work of Madame Guyon from two different resources that have been combined into one resource and that represent hallmarks of her experience as a Christian and a woman of deep prayer.

Previous efforts at publishing her wonderful poetry have not combined her work in this manner. The work also includes additional never before published new material that will help readers understand the features of Christian mysticism, the Quietism element that she practiced, and a brief biographical piece about Madame Guyon. The joint effect of this is to provide annotative content that makes a unique contribution while at the same time helping us to respect the Christian experiences of Madame Guyon herself, her example as a prayer warrior, and her testimony as a Christian even in the face of imprisonment and mistreatment. Consequently, this work, 'Selections From the Poetry of Madame Guyon', is both a convenient resource of Madame Guyon's poetic work as well as a testament to the deep relationship with God that she enjoyed as a Christian mystic. As such, both devout Christians and students of the mystical experience should find these poems inspirational. We hope that you enjoy this work and find it inspiring and useful as a resource and testimony of one womans courage and faith; who without wavering, even in the face of severe persecution, stayed true to her faith. NOTES: A word about adaptation from the previous collections of her poems; every attempt has been made to preserve these poems in the language that Madame Guyon used, faithful to the original texts used, as well as what was originally translated from the French. However, some of the resources had some blemishes and blurred print making it difficult to always read the text. In those few places, and it was only a few places, (mostly in the Upham work) every attempt was made to correct the text as close as possible to what the word appeared to be. In doing this, we were very respectful of the need to preserve the integrity of the text. Also, some of the original works did not seem to preserve the stanza format that Guyon was seen to have used in other works, which seemed a bit incomprehensible. Consequently, when it came to formatting the poetry itself, there were editorial concerns about whether or not Madame Guyon wrote all her poems in stanza format. Therefore, as much as possible, we consulted other original texts (if available) to preserve the poets best intentions in terms of a stanza format. This seemed to be a much better rendering than reducing a poem with four or five stanzas (that made good poetic form with rhyming end lines) to two or three long sentences without line breaks as some of the original resources had depicted the poems to be.

Finally, a word about the notation used in this book. Poems that are followed by (TU) in their title, indicates that those poems were selected from the 1847 publication of Thomas Upham. All other selections are from William Cowper's work of 1831. ---The Editorial Staff, TiLu Press, Portland, OR; June 2012

Foreword: Mysticism, Mystics, and the Christian Experience By Kelli M. Webert, MA Christian mysticism can refer to the souls mystical union with God or the method of prayer and contemplation used to understand and absorb the Holy Scripture. The ultimate goal of Christian mystics is to create a permanent union with Christ. Some believe these ideas date back to Christs original followers, though there have been many developments in the practice throughout the centuries that lead to the foundations and mystical practices used today. The Five Fold Path of the Mystic A threefold path has commonly been pursued by Christian mystics to purify mind, body and soul. This begins with mystics perfecting their discipline of the human body by emphasizing prayer which occasionally would be done at certain times during the day or in specific positions. Other activities such as the giving of alms or works of mercy are encouraged by many groups. (Underhill, 1911) This would include caring for the homeless or similar acts of charity, though some mystics such as Madame Guyon argued that the focus of purification should be on prayer and not using good works for personal glorification. (Disse, 2012)

NOTE: THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AND THE FRONT MATTER IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE IN THE FREE VERSION.

A LITTLE BIRD I AM (TU)

A little bird I am, Shut from the fields of air; And in my cage I sit and sing To Him who placed me there; Well pleased a prisoner to he, Because, my God, it pleases thee.

Nought have I else to do; I sing the whole day long; And He, whom most I love to please, Doth listen to my song; He caught and bound my wandering wing, But still He bends to hear me sing.

Thou hast an ear to hear; A heart to love and bless; And, though my notes were e'er so rude, Thou would'st not hear the less; Because Thou knowest as they fall. That LOVE, sweet love, inspires them all

My cage confines me round; Abroad I cannot fly; But, though my wing is closely bound, My heart's at liberty. My prison walls cannot control the flight, the freedom of the bound.

Oh! It is good to soar. These bolts and bars above, To Him whose purpose I adore Whose providence I love; And in Thy mighty Will to find The joy, the freedom of the mind.

LOVE CONSTITUTES MY CRIME (TU)

Love constitutes my crime; For this they keep me here, Imprisoned thus so long a time For Him I hold so dear; And yet I am, as when I came. The subject of this holy flame.

How can I better grow! How from my own heart fly! Those who imprison me should know True love can never die. Yea, tread and crush it with disdain. And it will fire and burn again.

And am I then to blame? He's always in my sight; And having once inspired the flame, He always keeps it bright For this they smite me and reprove, Because I cannot cease to love.

What power shall dim its ray, Dropp'd burning from above! Eternal Life shall ne'er decay; God is the life of love. And when its source of life is o'er. And only then, 'twill shine no more.

GOD'S LOVE AND GOODNESS(TU)

Infinite God I with thou great, unrivalled one, whose light eclipses that of yonder sun; Compared with thine, how dim his beauty seems! How quenched the radiance of his golden beams!

O God! Thy creatures in one strain agree; All, in all times and places, speak of thee; Even I, with trembling heart and stammering tongue, Attempt thy praise, and join the general song.

Almighty Father, His wondrous plan Faintly reflected in thine image; Holy and just! The greatness of whose name Fills and supports this universal frame!

Diffused throughout infinitude of space, Who art thyself thine own vast dwelling-place; Soul of our soul! Whom yet no sense of ours Discerns, eluding our most active powers;

Encircling shades attend thine awful throne;

That veil thy face, and keep thee still unknown; Unknown, though construed in our inmost part, Lord of the thoughts, found Sovereign of the heart

Thou art my bliss! the light by which I move! In thee, O God I dwell and that I can love. Where'er I turn, I see thy power and grace. Whichever which, and bless our heedless race.

Oh! then, repeat the truth, that never tires; No, Go! If I like the God my soul desires; He, at whose voice heaven trembles, even he, Great as He is, knows how to stoop to me.

Vain pageantry and pomp of earth, adieu! I have no wish, no memory for you! Rich in God's We, I feel my noblest pride rising from the ease of having nought beside.

GOD THE FOUNTAIN OF LOVE TO HIS CHILDREN (TU)

I love my God, but with no love of mine, For I have none to give; I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine. For by thy life I live. I am as nothing, and rejoice to be Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in Thee.

Thou, Lord, alone, art all thy children need. And there be none beside; From thee the streams of blessedness proceed; In thee the bless'd abide. Fountain of life, and all-abounding grace. Our source, our centre, and our dwelling place.

DIVINE LOVE

He who dwells in heav'nly love, Who draws his strength from God above, Will nobly act his part through time; He eats, he drinks, he takes his rest, With love and gratitude impressed, And sees through faith, a happier clime.

THE SPRING

Oh that my spirit might, through grace, Become so still and clean Clear as a spring on whose fair face The light of heaven is seen.

How beauteous then, within my breast, The light of God would shine ; How would His image be imprest, And prove the work divine!

THE SHEPHERD

I AM the shepherd of a fold; My sheep are wandering thoughts and cares, These I must seek in pens to hold, When for its God my heart prepares.

Then must I strive to shut them fast Within the fold of heavenly love, Lest they should wander, and at last Feed far away, and love to rove.

THE HIDDEN LIFE

How blessed is that simple heart, Which lives to God alone! His mercy sees in every part, And dwells before his throne;

Alike in joys, alike in pains, It stands secure and still, While faith through every change sustains To do the Master's will.

Thus may it pass through want and strife, And rise, through death, to peace and life.

THE SUNBEAM

God is the sun, and what am I ? A little gleam of light. Lost in his vast infinity. Yet open to his sight.

When I wander from His care. The gleam of light soon fades ; I feel as dustand deep despair My darkened soul pervades.

THE HERMIT

While the whole world, in vanity and pleasure, Still rove unthinking of the future day, Seeking in present joy a fleeting treasure, My spirit in a desert pines away.

In my own heart must I my treasure find, My cot, my home, the solace of my breast. My wishes and my cares to this confined, Shall centre in my God and be at rest.

A PILGRIM'S THOUGHT

The world itself, and even thou Thy tenement of clay Is but a house of short abode, Which hourly fades away.

Think, when oppressed with grief and cares, The time will soon draw nigh. When thou shalt have a lasting house, A mansion in the sky.