Sir Walter Raleigh and the Camino

[Joe English]

On Sun, 8 Feb 2004 19:26:59 EST, Elizabeth Boylston-Morris
<TagelleaAOL.COM> wrote:

>In The New York Times book review section of today a biography of the book
>"Sir Walter Raleigh", written by Raleigh Trevelyan, is reviewed by Paul S.
>Seaver.
>The full page review ends with a quotation of a poem, or part thereof,
>reportedly written by Raleigh in 1603. The references to the Camino are
inescapable
>in the cited verse that reads:
>"Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,
>My staff of faith to walk upon,
>My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
>My bottle of salvation,
>My gown of glory, hope's true gage,
>And thus I'll take my pilgrimage."
>
>Does anybody here know the full poem, if such there is, and the context
upon
>which it was written?
>
>Liz
>

The Passionate Man's Pilgrimage

Give me my scallop shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gage,
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.

Blood must be my body's balmer,
No other balm will there be given,
Whilst my soul, like a white palmer,
Travels to the land of heaven;
Over the silver mountains,
Where spring the nectar fountains;
And there I'll kiss
The bowl of bliss,
And drink my eternal fill
On every milken hill.
My soul will be a-dry before,
But after it will ne'er thirst more;
And by the happy blissful way
More peaceful pilgrims I shall see,
That have shook off their gowns of clay,
And go apparelled fresh like me.
I'll bring them first
To slake their thirst,
And then to taste those nectar suckets,
At the clear wells
Where sweetness dwells,
Drawn up by saints in crystal buckets.

And when our bottles and all we
Are filled with immortality,
Then the holy paths we'll travel,
Strewed with rubies thick as gravel,
Ceilings of diamonds, sapphire floors,
High walls of coral, and pearl bowers.

 From thence to heaven's bribeless hall
Where no corrupted voices brawl,
No conscience molten into gold,
Nor forged accusers bought and sold,
No cause deferred, nor vain-spent journey,
For there Christ is the king's attorney,
Who pleads for all without degrees,
And he hath angels, but no fees.
When the grand twelve million jury
Of our sins and sinful fury,
'Gainst our souls black verdicts give,
Christ pleads his death, and then we live.
Be thou my speaker, taintless pleader,
Unblotted lawyer, true proceeder,
Thou movest salvation even for alms,
Not with a bribed lawyer's palms.
And this is my eternal plea
To him that made heaven, earth, and sea,
Seeing my flesh must die so soon,
And want a head to dine next noon,
Just at the stroke when my veins start and spread,
Set on my soul an everlasting head.
Then am I ready, like a palmer fit,
To tread those blest paths which before I writ.

--Sir Walter Ralegh