Skip to content
Linespedia

Temptation.

By William Cowper

Topics: classic

The billows swell, the winds are high,     Clouds overcast my wintry sky;     Out of the depths to thee I call, -     My fears are great, my strength is small.     O Lord, the pilots part perform,     And guard and guide me through the storm,     Defend me from each threatening ill,     Control the waves, - say, Peace, be still.     Amidst the roaring of the sea,     My soul still hangs her hope on thee;     Thy constant love, thy faithful care,     Is all that saves me from despair.     Dangers of every shape and name     Attend the followers of the Lamb,     Who leave the worlds deceitful shore,     And leave it to return no more.     Though tempest-tossd and half a wreck,     My Saviour through the floods I seek;     Let neither winds nor stormy main     Force back my shatterd bark again.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"The billows swell, the winds are high,..."

"Temptation." is a quintessential example of William Cowper's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:William Cowper

"The billows swell, the winds are high,..." by William Cowper

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"Christina, maiden of heroic mien!     Star of the North! of northern stars the queen!     Behold, what wrinkles I have earn'd, and how     The"

"Close by the threshold of a door naild fast     Three kittens sat; each kitten lookd aghast.     I, passing swift and inattentive by,     At"

"Two nymphs, both nearly of an age,     Of numerous charms possessd,     A warm dispute once chanced to wage,     Whose temper was the best."

"Too many, Lord, abuse thy grace,     In this licentious day;     And while they boast they see thy face,     They turn their own away.     T"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

William Cowper

About William Cowper

William Cowper (1731–1800) was an English poet and hymnodist whose work bridges the gap between the Augustan age and Romanticism. His poems "The Task" and "John Gilpin" were enormously popular, and his hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" remains widely sung.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"Christina, maiden of heroic mien!     Star of the ..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.