Mary (Sidney) Herbert. Psalm 46.

Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke

Psalm 46 : Deus noster refugium

[unpublished]

Our hope is God, God is our stay
          A sheild to keep us sound
          Still ready to be found
When troubles would our minds dismay
When albeit the Earth quake all
          And highest hills do fall
          Into the deepest deep
Yet still we will us fearless keep.

Yea to the deep up boyling make
          Such watry mountains rise
As at their dashing cryes
The earthy mountains seem to shake
Yet shall a Rivers streaming joy
          With myrth wash from annoy
          The citty God hath chose
His Holy dwelling to enclose.

God in this Cittys Center bides
          What can this citty shake
          Who can this citty take
Where God a present ayd resides?
Where Nations raged against it came
          And empires did the same
          Ayr did with thunder sound
Earth failed their feet with melting ground.

The God of Armys for us armes,
          When any tumult moves
          The God that Jacob loves :
Our fortresse is against all harmes
O Come yourselves, O come and see
          How clean, how throughly hee
          Hath purgd the earth of those
That unto him er were his foes.

By him each where all warrs are dread
          As farr as hand doth go
          He shiverd hath the bow
Crusht pikes, and flames with chariots fedd
Be still sayth he and know that I
          Am God who will on high
          My peereless power and prayse
About all lands and peoples rayse.

The God of armys, for us arms
          When any tumult moves
          The God that Jacob loves
Our fortresse is against all harms.

[AJ Note: Deus noster refugium, God is our refuge.]

Source:
Pembroke, Mary S. H.  The Triumph of Death and Other
Unpublished and Uncollected Poems.  G. F. Waller, Ed.
Salzburg: Universität Salzburg, 1977.  100-101.

to Works of Mary Herbert