by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 - 1892)
O friends! with whom my feet have trod
Language: English
O friends! with whom my feet have trod The quiet aisles of prayer, Glad witness to your zeal for God And love of man I bear. I trace your lines of argument; Your logic linked and strong I weigh as one who dreads dissent, And fears a doubt as wrong. But still my human hands are weak To hold your iron creeds: Against the words ye bid me speak My heart within me pleads. Who fathoms the Eternal Thought? Who talks of scheme and plan? The Lord is God! He needeth not The poor device of man. I walk with bare, hushed feet the ground Ye tread with boldness shod; I dare not fix with mete and bound The love and power of God. Ye praise His justice; even such His pitying love I deem: Ye seek a king; I fain would touch The robe that hath no seam. Ye see the curse which overbroods A world of pain and loss; I hear our Lord's beatitudes And prayer upon the cross. More than your schoolmen teach, within Myself, alas! I know: Too dark ye cannot paint the sin, Too small the merit show. I bow my forehead to the dust, I veil mine eyes for shame, And urge, in trembling self-distrust, A prayer without a claim. I see the wrong that round me lies, I feel the guilt within; I hear, with groan and travail-cries, The world confess its sin. Yet, in the maddening maze of things, And tossed by storm and flood, To one fixed trust my spirit clings; I know that God is good! Not mine to look where cherubim And seraphs may not see, But nothing can be good in Him Which evil is in me. The wrong that pains my soul below I dare not throne above, I know not of His hate, -- I know His goodness and His love. I dimly guess from blessings known Of greater out of sight, And, with the chastened Psalmist, own His judgments too are right. I long for household voices gone, For vanished smiles I long, But God hath led my dear ones on, And He can do no wrong. I know not what the future hath Of marvel or surprise, Assured alone that life and death His mercy underlies. And if my heart and flesh are weak To bear an untried pain, The bruisëd reed He will not break, But strengthen and sustain. No offering of my own I have, Nor works my faith to prove; I can but give the gifts He gave, And plead His love for love. And so beside the Silent Sea I wait the muffled oar; No harm from Him can come to me On ocean or on shore. I know not where His islands lift Their fronded palms in air; I only know I cannot drift Beyond His love and care. O brothers! if my faith is vain, If hopes like these betray, Pray for me that my feet may gain The sure and safer way. And Thou, O Lord! by whom are seen Thy creatures as they be, Forgive me if too close I lean My human heart on Thee!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 - 1892), "The Eternal Goodness", appears in The Tent on the Beach, and Other Poems, first published 1867 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "The Eternal Goodness", c1950, published 1952 [ SATB chorus and piano or organ ], from Five Hymns [sung text not yet checked]
- by Uzziah Christopher Burnap (1834 - 1900), "O friends! with whom my feet have trod" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Beach Hawley (1858 - 1915), "The Eternal Goodness", published 1907 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sidney Homer (1864 - 1953), "The Eternal Goodness", op. 21 (Two songs) no. 1, published 1909 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by W. Irmer , "I know not what the future hath" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Herbert Johnson , "The Eternal Goodness", published 1901 [ voice and piano ], also published as a duet for high voices [sung text not yet checked]
- by W. A. F. Schulthes , "I know not what the future hath", note: music is incorrectly attributed to S. Webbe [sung text not yet checked]
- by Luigi Zaninelli (b. 1932), "I know not what the future hath" [ mixed chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-06-14
Line count: 88
Word count: 529