Author of Light, by Thomas Campion

Author of light, revive my dying spright;
Redeem it from the snares of all-confounding night.
Lord, light me to thy blessed way:
For blind with worldly vain desires, I wander as a stray.
Sun and Moon, Stars and underlights I see,
But all their glorious beams are mists and darkness, being  compar'd to thee.

Fountain of health, my soul's deep wound recure,
Sweet show'rs of pity rain, wash my uncleanness pure.
One drop of thy desired grace
The faint and fading heart can raise, and in joyes bosom place.
Sin and Death, Hell and tempting Fiends may rage;
But God his own will guard, and their sharp pains and grief in time assuage.

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Thomas Campion  (1567 – 1620) was an English composer, poet and physician. He wrote over a hundred lute songs; masques for dancing, and an authoritative technical treatise on music.

This poem is from "Two Books of Ayres" written about 1613 and
http://www.luminarium.org/editions/camptwobookes.htm These were intended to be sung "to the lute or viol."

The first book of Ayres was on "divine and moral songs" and the one here is the first of these. The second book is on "Light conceits of lovers" and is altogether different in tone.

Though I'm not greatly familiar with the life and poetry of Campion, such religious poems of his that I have seen have reminded me of Metaphysical poets like Herbert and Donne.

(I've modernized the spelling here. "Spright" in the first line means, I think, "spirit.")

For a musical setting of this poem, sung by countertenor Christopher Field, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHoh2d59rfQ