 | The Poetical Works of William Cullen Bryant |  |
350
HYMNS WRITTEN AT VARIOUS TIMES.
“THE EARTH IS FULL OF THY RICHES.”
Almighty! hear thy children raise
The voice of thankfulness and praise,
To Him whose wisdom deigned to plan
This fair and bright abode for man.
The voice of thankfulness and praise,
To Him whose wisdom deigned to plan
This fair and bright abode for man.
For when this orb of sea and land
Was moulded in thy forming hand,
Thy calm, benignant smile impressed
A beam of heaven upon its breast.
Was moulded in thy forming hand,
Thy calm, benignant smile impressed
A beam of heaven upon its breast.
Then rose the hills, and broad and green
The vale's deep pathway sank between;
Then stretched the plains to where the sky
Stoops and shuts in the exploring eye.
The vale's deep pathway sank between;
Then stretched the plains to where the sky
Stoops and shuts in the exploring eye.
Beneath that smile earth's blossoms glowed,
Her fountains gushed, her rivers flowed,
And from the shadowy wood was heard
The pleasant sound of breeze and bird.
Her fountains gushed, her rivers flowed,
And from the shadowy wood was heard
The pleasant sound of breeze and bird.
Thy hand outspread the billowy plains
Of ocean, nurse of genial rains,
Hung high the glorious sun and set
Night's cressets in her arch of jet.
Of ocean, nurse of genial rains,
Hung high the glorious sun and set
Night's cressets in her arch of jet.
Lord, teach us, while the admiring sight
Dwells on Thy works in deep delight,
To deem the forms of beauty here
But shadows of a brighter sphere.
Dwells on Thy works in deep delight,
To deem the forms of beauty here
But shadows of a brighter sphere.
Great Barrington, 1820.
351
“HIS TENDER MERCIES ARE OVER ALL HIS WORKS.”
Our Father! to thy love we owe
All that is fair and good below.
Life, and the health that makes life sweet,
Are blessings from thy mercy seat.
All that is fair and good below.
Life, and the health that makes life sweet,
Are blessings from thy mercy seat.
Oh Giver of the quickening rain!
Oh Ripener of the golden grain!
From Thee the cheerful day-spring flows,
Thy balmy evening brings repose.
Oh Ripener of the golden grain!
From Thee the cheerful day-spring flows,
Thy balmy evening brings repose.
Thy frosts arrest, thy tempests chase
The plagues that waste our helpless race,
Thy softer breath, o'er land and deep,
Wakes Nature from her winter sleep.
The plagues that waste our helpless race,
Thy softer breath, o'er land and deep,
Wakes Nature from her winter sleep.
Yet, deem we not that thus alone
Thy bounty and thy love are shown,
For we have learned with higher praise
And holier names to speak thy ways.
Thy bounty and thy love are shown,
For we have learned with higher praise
And holier names to speak thy ways.
In woe's dark hour our kindest stay,
Sole trust when life shall pass away,
Teacher of hopes that light the gloom
Of Death, and consecrate the tomb.
Sole trust when life shall pass away,
Teacher of hopes that light the gloom
Of Death, and consecrate the tomb.
Patient with headstrong guilt to bear,
Slow to avenge and kind to spare,
Listening to prayer and reconciled
Full soon to thy repentant child.
Slow to avenge and kind to spare,
Listening to prayer and reconciled
Full soon to thy repentant child.
Great Barrington, 1820.
352
“A BROKEN AND A CONTRITE HEART, OH GOD, THOU WILT NOT DESPISE.”
Oh God, whose dread and dazzling brow
Love never yet forsook!
On those who seek thy presence now
In deep compassion look.
Love never yet forsook!
On those who seek thy presence now
In deep compassion look.
Aid our weak steps and eyesight dim
The paths of peace to find,
And lead us all to learn of Him
Who died to save mankind.
The paths of peace to find,
And lead us all to learn of Him
Who died to save mankind.
For many a frail and erring heart
Is in thy holy sight,
And feet too willing to depart
From the plain way of right.
Is in thy holy sight,
And feet too willing to depart
From the plain way of right.
Yet, pleased the humble prayer to hear,
And kind to all that live,
Thou, when thou seest the contrite tear,
Art ready to forgive.
And kind to all that live,
Thou, when thou seest the contrite tear,
Art ready to forgive.
Great Barrington, 1820.
“HOW AMIABLE ARE THY TABERNACLES!”
Thou, whose unmeasured temple stands,
Built over earth and sea,
Accept the walls that human hands
Have raised, oh God! to thee.
Built over earth and sea,
Accept the walls that human hands
Have raised, oh God! to thee.
And let the Comforter and Friend,
Thy Holy Spirit, meet
With those who here in worship bend
Before thy mercy seat.
Thy Holy Spirit, meet
With those who here in worship bend
Before thy mercy seat.
May they who err be guided here
To find the better way,
And they who mourn and they who fear
Be strengthened as they pray.
To find the better way,
353
Be strengthened as they pray.
May faith grow firm, and love grow warm,
And hallowed wishes rise,
While round these peaceful walls the storm
Of earth-born passion dies.
And hallowed wishes rise,
While round these peaceful walls the storm
Of earth-born passion dies.
Great Barrington, 1820.
“THE LORD GIVETH WISDOM.”
Mighty One, before whose face
Wisdom had her glorious seat,
When the orbs that people space
Sprang to birth beneath thy feet!
Wisdom had her glorious seat,
When the orbs that people space
Sprang to birth beneath thy feet!
Source of Truth, whose beams alone
Light the mighty world of mind!
God of Love, who, from thy throne,
Watchest over all mankind!
Light the mighty world of mind!
God of Love, who, from thy throne,
Watchest over all mankind!
Shed on those who, in Thy name,
Teach the way of Truth and Right,
Shed that Love's undying flame,
Shed that Wisdom's guiding light.
Teach the way of Truth and Right,
Shed that Love's undying flame,
Shed that Wisdom's guiding light.
“THY WORD IS TRUTH.”
Oh thou, whose Love can ne'er forget
Its offspring, Great Eternal Mind!
We thank thee that thy truth is yet
A sojourner among mankind;
Its offspring, Great Eternal Mind!
We thank thee that thy truth is yet
A sojourner among mankind;
A light before whose brightness fall
The feet arrayed to tread it down,
A voice whose strong and solemn call
The cry of nations cannot drown.
The feet arrayed to tread it down,
A voice whose strong and solemn call
The cry of nations cannot drown.
354
Thy servants, at this sacred hour,
With humble prayer thy throne surround,
That here, in glory and in power,
That light may shine, that voice may sound;
With humble prayer thy throne surround,
That here, in glory and in power,
That light may shine, that voice may sound;
Till Error's shades shall flee away,
And Faith, descending from above,
Amid the pure and perfect day,
Shall bring her fairer sister Love.
And Faith, descending from above,
Amid the pure and perfect day,
Shall bring her fairer sister Love.
“I WILL SEND THEM PROPHETS AND APOSTLES.”
All that in this wide world we see,
Almighty Father! speaks of Thee;
And in the darkness, or the day,
Thy monitors surround our way.
Almighty Father! speaks of Thee;
And in the darkness, or the day,
Thy monitors surround our way.
The fearful storms that sweep the sky,
The maladies by which we die,
The pangs that make the guilty groan,
Are angels from thy awful throne.
The maladies by which we die,
The pangs that make the guilty groan,
Are angels from thy awful throne.
Each mercy sent when sorrows lower,
Each blessing of the wingèd hour,
All we enjoy, and all we love,
Bring with them lessons from above.
Each blessing of the wingèd hour,
All we enjoy, and all we love,
Bring with them lessons from above.
Nor thus content, thy gracious hand,
From midst the children of the land,
Hath raised, to stand before our race,
Thy living messengers of grace.
From midst the children of the land,
Hath raised, to stand before our race,
Thy living messengers of grace.
We thank thee that so clear a ray
Shines on thy straight, thy chosen way,
And pray that passion, sloth, or pride,
May never lure our steps aside.
Shines on thy straight, thy chosen way,
And pray that passion, sloth, or pride,
May never lure our steps aside.
355
“EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE.”
Ancient of Days! except thou deign
Upon the finished task to smile,
The workman's hand hath toiled in vain,
To hew the rock and rear the pile.
Upon the finished task to smile,
The workman's hand hath toiled in vain,
To hew the rock and rear the pile.
Oh, let thy peace, the peace that tames
The wayward heart, inhabit here,
That quenches passion's fiercest flames,
And thaws the deadly frost of fear.
The wayward heart, inhabit here,
That quenches passion's fiercest flames,
And thaws the deadly frost of fear.
And send thy love, the love that bears
Meekly with hate, and scorn, and wrong,
And loads itself with generous cares,
And toils, and hopes, and watches long.
Meekly with hate, and scorn, and wrong,
And loads itself with generous cares,
And toils, and hopes, and watches long.
Here may bold tongues thy truth proclaim,
Unmingled with the dreams of men,
As from His holy lips it came
Who died for us and rose again.
Unmingled with the dreams of men,
As from His holy lips it came
Who died for us and rose again.
“THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.”
Lord, from whose glorious presence came
The truth that made our fathers free,
And kindled in their hearts the flame
Of love to man and love to thee.
The truth that made our fathers free,
And kindled in their hearts the flame
Of love to man and love to thee.
Bow the great heavens, thy throne of light,
And fill these walls, as once, of yore,
Thy spirit rested in its might
Upon the ark that Israel bore.
And fill these walls, as once, of yore,
Thy spirit rested in its might
Upon the ark that Israel bore.
Here, let thy love be strong to draw
Our wavering hearts to do thy will,
And hush them with the holy awe
That makes the rebel passions still.
Our wavering hearts to do thy will,
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That makes the rebel passions still.
And while thy children, frail and blind,
Here bend in humble prayer to thee,
Oh, shed abroad, on every mind,
The truth that made our fathers free.
Here bend in humble prayer to thee,
Oh, shed abroad, on every mind,
The truth that made our fathers free.
“OTHER SHEEP I HAVE, WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD.”
Look from the sphere of endless day,
Oh, God of mercy and of might!
In pity look on those who stray,
Benighted, in this land of light.
Oh, God of mercy and of might!
In pity look on those who stray,
Benighted, in this land of light.
In peopled vale, in lonely glen,
In crowded mart by stream or sea,
How many of the sons of men
Hear not the message sent from thee.
In crowded mart by stream or sea,
How many of the sons of men
Hear not the message sent from thee.
Send forth thy heralds, Lord, to call
The thoughtless young, the hardened old,
A wandering flock, and bring them all
To the Good Shepherd's peaceful fold.
The thoughtless young, the hardened old,
A wandering flock, and bring them all
To the Good Shepherd's peaceful fold.
Send them thy mighty word to speak
Till faith shall dawn and doubt depart,—
To awe the bold, to stay the weak,
And bind and heal the broken heart.
Till faith shall dawn and doubt depart,—
To awe the bold, to stay the weak,
And bind and heal the broken heart.
Then all these wastes, a dreary scene,
On which, with sorrowing eyes, we gaze,
Shall grow with living waters green,
And lift to heaven the voice of praise.
On which, with sorrowing eyes, we gaze,
Shall grow with living waters green,
And lift to heaven the voice of praise.
New York, 1859.
357
“THOU, GOD, SEEST ME.”
When this song of praise shall cease,
Let thy children, Lord, depart
With the blessing of thy peace
And thy love in every heart.
Let thy children, Lord, depart
With the blessing of thy peace
And thy love in every heart.
Oh, where'er our path may lie,
Father, let us not forget
That we walk beneath thine eye,
That thy care upholds us yet.
Father, let us not forget
That we walk beneath thine eye,
That thy care upholds us yet.
Blind are we, and weak, and frail;
Be thine aid forever near;
May the fear to sin prevail
Over every other fear.
Be thine aid forever near;
May the fear to sin prevail
Over every other fear.
“HIS MOTHER KEPT ALL THESE SAYINGS IN HER HEART.”
As o'er the cradle of her Son
The blessèd Mary hung,
And chanted to the Anointed One
The psalms that David sung,
The blessèd Mary hung,
And chanted to the Anointed One
The psalms that David sung,
What joy her bosom must have known,
As, with a sweet surprise,
She marked the boundless love that shone
Within his infant eyes.
As, with a sweet surprise,
She marked the boundless love that shone
Within his infant eyes.
But deeper was her joy to hear,
Even in his ripening youth,
And treasure up, from year to year,
His words of grace and truth.
Even in his ripening youth,
And treasure up, from year to year,
His words of grace and truth.
Oh, may we keep his words like her
In all their life and power,
And to the law of love refer
The acts of every hour.
In all their life and power,
And to the law of love refer
The acts of every hour.
358
“WHATSOEVER HE SAITH UNTO YOU, DO IT.”
“Whate'er he bids, observe and do;”
Such were the words that Mary said,
What time the Holy One and True
Sat where the marriage feast was spread.
Such were the words that Mary said,
What time the Holy One and True
Sat where the marriage feast was spread.
Then, at his word, the servants sought
The streams from Cana's fountains poured,
And lo! the crystal water brought
Was ruddy wine upon the board.
The streams from Cana's fountains poured,
And lo! the crystal water brought
Was ruddy wine upon the board.
Whate'er he bids observe and do;
Such be the law that we obey,
And greater wonders men shall view
Than that of Cana's bridal day.
Such be the law that we obey,
And greater wonders men shall view
Than that of Cana's bridal day.
The flinty heart with love shall beat,
The chains shall fall from passion's slave,
The proud shall sit at Jesus' feet
And learn the truths that bless and save.
The chains shall fall from passion's slave,
The proud shall sit at Jesus' feet
And learn the truths that bless and save.
“PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT THE LAND.”
Go forth, oh Word of Christ! go forth,
Oh Truth of God supremely strong!
To banish, from the groaning earth,
All forms of tyranny and wrong.
Oh Truth of God supremely strong!
To banish, from the groaning earth,
All forms of tyranny and wrong.
For where the Word of Christ prevails
To touch a nation's mighty heart,
The oppressor's pride before it quails,
The links of bondage fall apart.
To touch a nation's mighty heart,
The oppressor's pride before it quails,
The links of bondage fall apart.
When the pure faith by Jesus taught
Its conquering course on earth began,
Where'er the blessed news was brought
The fettered slave stood up a man.
Its conquering course on earth began,
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The fettered slave stood up a man.
Still may thy heralds, Lord, proclaim
The gracious message published then,
And teach the world, in Jesus' name,
How love makes free the sons of men.
The gracious message published then,
And teach the world, in Jesus' name,
How love makes free the sons of men.
“THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”
All praise to Him of Nazareth,
The Holy One who came,
For love of man, to die a death
Of agony and shame.
The Holy One who came,
For love of man, to die a death
Of agony and shame.
Dark was the grave; but since he lay
Within its dreary cell,
The beams of heaven's eternal day
Upon its threshold dwell.
Within its dreary cell,
The beams of heaven's eternal day
Upon its threshold dwell.
He grasped the iron veil, he drew
Its gloomy folds aside,
And opened, to his followers' view,
The glorious world they hide.
Its gloomy folds aside,
And opened, to his followers' view,
The glorious world they hide.
In tender memory of his grave
The mystic bread we take,
And muse upon the life he gave
So freely for our sake.
The mystic bread we take,
And muse upon the life he gave
So freely for our sake.
A boundless love he bore mankind;
Oh, may at least a part
Of that strong love descend and find
A place in every heart.
Oh, may at least a part
Of that strong love descend and find
A place in every heart.
360
“THOU HAST PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET.”
Oh North, with all thy vales of green!
Oh South, with all thy palms!
From peopled towns and fields between,
Uplift the voice of psalms.
Raise, ancient East! the anthem high,
And let the youthful West reply.
Oh South, with all thy palms!
From peopled towns and fields between,
Uplift the voice of psalms.
Raise, ancient East! the anthem high,
And let the youthful West reply.
Lo! in the clouds of Heaven appears
God's well-belovèd Son;
He brings a train of brighter years;
His kingdom is begun;
He comes a guilty world to bless
With mercy, truth, and righteousness.
God's well-belovèd Son;
He brings a train of brighter years;
His kingdom is begun;
He comes a guilty world to bless
With mercy, truth, and righteousness.
Oh, Father! haste the promised hour,
When at His feet shall lie
All rule, authority, and power,
Beneath the ample sky:
When He shall reign from pole to pole,
The Lord of every human soul.
When at His feet shall lie
All rule, authority, and power,
Beneath the ample sky:
When He shall reign from pole to pole,
The Lord of every human soul.
When all shall heed the words He said,
Amid their daily cares,
And, by the loving life He led,
Shall strive to pattern theirs;
And He who conquered Death shall win
The mightier conquest over Sin.
Amid their daily cares,
And, by the loving life He led,
Shall strive to pattern theirs;
And He who conquered Death shall win
The mightier conquest over Sin.
THE FREEMAN'S HYMN.
In eastern lands a servile race
May bow to thrones and diadems;
And hide in dust the abject face,
Before the glare of gold and gems.
May bow to thrones and diadems;
And hide in dust the abject face,
Before the glare of gold and gems.
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For us, we kneel to One alone;
And freemen worship only Him
Before the brightness of whose throne
The proudest pomps of earth are dim.
And freemen worship only Him
Before the brightness of whose throne
The proudest pomps of earth are dim.
And therefore to his children here
This bright and blooming land He gave,
Where famine never blasts the year,
Nor plagues, nor earthquakes glut the grave;
This bright and blooming land He gave,
Where famine never blasts the year,
Nor plagues, nor earthquakes glut the grave;
A land where all the gifts unite
That Heaven bestows to make life sweet;
A land of peace, a land of light,
A land where truth and mercy meet.
That Heaven bestows to make life sweet;
A land of peace, a land of light,
A land where truth and mercy meet.
Cummington, 1822.
THE DEATH OF CHANNING.
While yet the harvest-fields are white,
And few the toiling reapers stand,
Called from his task before the night,
We miss the mightiest of the band.
And few the toiling reapers stand,
Called from his task before the night,
We miss the mightiest of the band.
Oh, thou of strong and gentle mind,
Thy thrilling voice shall plead no more
For Truth, for Freedom, and Mankind—
The lesson of thy life is o'er.
Thy thrilling voice shall plead no more
For Truth, for Freedom, and Mankind—
The lesson of thy life is o'er.
But thou in brightness, far above
The fairest dream of human thought,
Before the seat of Power and Love,
Art with the Truth that thou hast sought.
The fairest dream of human thought,
Before the seat of Power and Love,
Art with the Truth that thou hast sought.
New York, 1842.
362
THE AGED PASTOR.
Thy love, O God! from year to year,
Has watched thy faithful pastor here,
Till fifty years of toil have now
Engraved their tokens on his brow.
Has watched thy faithful pastor here,
Till fifty years of toil have now
Engraved their tokens on his brow.
Fast have the seasons rolled away;
A moment in thy sight were they,
Yet while their rapid course was run,
What mighty works thy hand has done!
A moment in thy sight were they,
Yet while their rapid course was run,
What mighty works thy hand has done!
What empires rose, and, at thy frown,
In sudden weakness crumbled down!
What barriers, reared by earth and hell,
Against thy truth, gave way and fell!
In sudden weakness crumbled down!
What barriers, reared by earth and hell,
Against thy truth, gave way and fell!
Meanwhile, beneath thy gracious sight
This flock has dwelt in peace and light,
By living waters gently led,
And in perennial pastures fed.
This flock has dwelt in peace and light,
By living waters gently led,
And in perennial pastures fed.
Oh, when before thy judgment seat
The pastor and his flock shall meet,
May thy benignant voice attest
Their welcome to thine endless rest.
The pastor and his flock shall meet,
May thy benignant voice attest
Their welcome to thine endless rest.
Roslyn, June, 1848.
IN MEMORIAM.
Two hundred times has June renewed
Her roses since the day
When here, amid the lonely wood,
Our fathers met to pray.
Her roses since the day
When here, amid the lonely wood,
Our fathers met to pray.
Beside this gentle stream that strayed
Through pathless deserts then,
The calm, heroic women prayed,
And grave, undaunted men.
Through pathless deserts then,
The calm, heroic women prayed,
And grave, undaunted men.
363
Hymns on the ancient silence broke
From hearts that faltered not,
And undissembling lips that spoke
The free and guileless thought.
From hearts that faltered not,
And undissembling lips that spoke
The free and guileless thought.
They prayed, and thanked the Almighty One
Who made their hearts so strong,
And led them, towards the setting sun,
Beyond the reach of wrong.
Who made their hearts so strong,
And led them, towards the setting sun,
Beyond the reach of wrong.
He made for them that desert place
A pleasant heritage,
The cradle of a free-born race,
From peaceful age to age.
A pleasant heritage,
The cradle of a free-born race,
From peaceful age to age.
The plant they set—a little vine—
Has stretched its boughs afar,
To distant hills and streams that shine
Beneath the evening star.
Has stretched its boughs afar,
To distant hills and streams that shine
Beneath the evening star.
Their fields are ours—these fields that smile
With summer's early flowers;
Oh, let their fearless scorn of guile,
And love of truth, be ours.
With summer's early flowers;
Oh, let their fearless scorn of guile,
And love of truth, be ours.
Roslyn, May 15, 1856.
364
THE PASTOR'S RETURN.
From ancient realms, from many a seat
Of art and power beyond the sea;
From fields o'er which the blessed feet
Of Jesus walked in Galilee;
Of art and power beyond the sea;
From fields o'er which the blessed feet
Of Jesus walked in Galilee;
From snow-capped peak and glorious vale,
That listen to the cataract's voice,
Led by the hand of God, we hail,
Once more, the pastor of our choice.
That listen to the cataract's voice,
Led by the hand of God, we hail,
Once more, the pastor of our choice.
The reaper takes his place again,
Where the white harvest skirts the way,
With sinews strengthened to sustain
The heat and burden of the day.
Where the white harvest skirts the way,
With sinews strengthened to sustain
The heat and burden of the day.
And while our hearts, with one accord,
Welcome him to his cherished home;
As Thou hast blessed his wanderings, Lord,
Oh, bless his labors yet to come!
Welcome him to his cherished home;
As Thou hast blessed his wanderings, Lord,
Oh, bless his labors yet to come!
New York, 1868.
365
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM.
As shadows cast by cloud and sun
Flit o'er the summer grass,
So, in thy sight, Almighty One!
Earth's generations pass.
Flit o'er the summer grass,
So, in thy sight, Almighty One!
Earth's generations pass.
And while the years, an endless host,
Come pressing swiftly on,
The brightest names that earth can boast
Just glisten, and are gone.
Come pressing swiftly on,
The brightest names that earth can boast
Just glisten, and are gone.
Yet doth the Star of Bethlehem shed
A lustre pure and sweet;
And still it leads, as once it led,
To the Messiah's feet.
A lustre pure and sweet;
And still it leads, as once it led,
To the Messiah's feet.
And deeply, at this later day,
Our hearts rejoice to see
How children, guided by its ray,
Come to the Saviour's knee.
Our hearts rejoice to see
How children, guided by its ray,
Come to the Saviour's knee.
O Father, may that holy Star
Grow every year more bright,
And send its glorious beam afar
To fill the world with light.
Grow every year more bright,
And send its glorious beam afar
To fill the world with light.
New York, 1875.
THE CENTENNIAL HYMN.
Through calm and storm the years have led
Our nation on, from stage to stage—
A century's space—until we tread
The threshold of another age.
Our nation on, from stage to stage—
A century's space—until we tread
The threshold of another age.
We see where o'er our pathway swept
A torrent-stream of blood and fire,
And thank the Guardian Power who kept
Our sacred League of States entire.
A torrent-stream of blood and fire,
And thank the Guardian Power who kept
Our sacred League of States entire.
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Oh, chequered train of years, farewell!
With all thy strifes and hopes and fears!
Yet with us let thy memories dwell,
To warn and teach the coming years.
With all thy strifes and hopes and fears!
Yet with us let thy memories dwell,
To warn and teach the coming years.
And thou, the new-beginning age,
Warned by the past, and not in vain,
Write on a fairer, whiter page,
The record of thy happier reign.
Warned by the past, and not in vain,
Write on a fairer, whiter page,
The record of thy happier reign.
Roslyn, 1876.
THE CAPTIVE LOOSED.
When, doomed to death, the Apostle lay,
At night, in Herod's dungeon-cell,
A light shone round him like the day,
And from his limbs the fetters fell.
At night, in Herod's dungeon-cell,
A light shone round him like the day,
And from his limbs the fetters fell.
A messenger from God was there,
To loose his chain and bid him rise,
And lo, the Saint, as free as air,
Walked forth beneath the open skies.
To loose his chain and bid him rise,
And lo, the Saint, as free as air,
Walked forth beneath the open skies.
Chains yet more strong and cruel bind
The victims of that deadly thirst
Which drowns the soul, and from the mind
Blots the bright image stamped at first.
The victims of that deadly thirst
Which drowns the soul, and from the mind
Blots the bright image stamped at first.
Oh, God of Love and Mercy, deign
To look on those, with pitying eye,
Who struggle with that fatal chain,
And send them succor from on high.
To look on those, with pitying eye,
Who struggle with that fatal chain,
And send them succor from on high.
Send down, in its resistless might,
Thy gracious Spirit, we implore,
And lead the captive forth to light,
A rescued soul, a slave no more.
Thy gracious Spirit, we implore,
And lead the captive forth to light,
A rescued soul, a slave no more.
New York, 1877.
| The Poetical Works of William Cullen Bryant | |