 | Australian Lyrics &c |  |
A PRAYER.
I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast given
So much to me of this world's good,
So little of the bitter leaven
With which the loaf of life's imbued.
Yet wealth is nought, nor pow'r availeth,
And happiness is not for me,
If but in this respect it faileth,
To have my darling safe with me.
So much to me of this world's good,
So little of the bitter leaven
With which the loaf of life's imbued.
Yet wealth is nought, nor pow'r availeth,
And happiness is not for me,
If but in this respect it faileth,
To have my darling safe with me.
There's no one loves a clear blue heaven
Or summer-noontides more than I;
I gladly changed the starry seven
For the Cross of the Southern sky.
No one more fain in spring's young hours
Wanders in forest or in field;
But what grace can the trees and flowers
To me without my darling yield?
Or summer-noontides more than I;
I gladly changed the starry seven
For the Cross of the Southern sky.
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Wanders in forest or in field;
But what grace can the trees and flowers
To me without my darling yield?
I always have loved dogs and horses,
To guide with firm but facile rein
The uncomplaining friend that courses
Beneath one's saddle o'er the plain;
To pat the faithful friendly collie
That eyes me every time I move;
But these would fail to soothe me—wholly—
Could I not have her whom I love.
To guide with firm but facile rein
The uncomplaining friend that courses
Beneath one's saddle o'er the plain;
To pat the faithful friendly collie
That eyes me every time I move;
But these would fail to soothe me—wholly—
Could I not have her whom I love.
And dear to me are Art and Beauty,
In their Protean forms pourtray'd;
And oft a true disciple's duty
To Ruin's plaintive charms I've paid.
I love rich hues in blended tangles,
And subtle strains delight my heart;
But hues are harsh and music jangles
When she and I have chanced to part.
In their Protean forms pourtray'd;
And oft a true disciple's duty
To Ruin's plaintive charms I've paid.
I love rich hues in blended tangles,
And subtle strains delight my heart;
But hues are harsh and music jangles
When she and I have chanced to part.
There's an elixir found in glory
That compensates for years of strife;
To have my name go down in story
Has been the lodestar of my life.
But fame is as the flow'rs that perish,
And glory's golden crown is dim,
If she I swore to love and cherish
Is not vouchsafed to me by Him.
That compensates for years of strife;
To have my name go down in story
Has been the lodestar of my life.
But fame is as the flow'rs that perish,
And glory's golden crown is dim,
If she I swore to love and cherish
Is not vouchsafed to me by Him.
I pray Thee, merciful Creator,
To let my darling stay with me;
I pray Thee by our Mediator,
Who died Himself to set us free.
And Thou, who rais'dst up Jairus' daughter,
Let her but sleep and rise up heal'd,
Touch with thy saving hand the water,
Guard her with goodness as a shield.
To let my darling stay with me;
I pray Thee by our Mediator,
Who died Himself to set us free.
And Thou, who rais'dst up Jairus' daughter,
Let her but sleep and rise up heal'd,
Touch with thy saving hand the water,
Guard her with goodness as a shield.
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