by John Keble (1792 - 1866)
Septuagesima Sunday
Language: English
There is a Book, who runs may read, Which heavenly truth imparts, And all the lore its scholars need, Pure eyes and Christian hearts. The works of God above, below, Within us and around, Are pages in that book, to shew How God himself is found. The glorious sky, embracing all Is like the Maker's love, Wherewith encompass'd, great and small In peace and order move. The Moon above, the Church below, A wondrous race they run, But all their radiance, all their glow, Each borrows of its Sun. The Saviour lends the light and heat That crown his holy hill; The saints, like stars, around his seat, Perform their courses still. The saints above are stars in Heaven -- What are the saints on earth? Like trees they stand whom God has given, Our Eden's happy birth. Faith is their fix'd, unswerving root, Hope their unfading flower, Fair deeds of charity their fruit, The glory of their bower. The dew of heaven is like thy grace, It steals in silence down; But where it lights, the favour'd place By richest fruits is known. One name, above all glorious names, With its ten thousand tongues The everlasting sea proclaims, Echoing angelic songs. The raging Fire, the roaring Wind, Thy boundless power display: But in the gentler breeze we find The Spirit's viewless way. Two worlds are ours: 'tis only Sin Forbids us to descry The mystic heaven and earth within, Plain as the sea and sky. Thou, who hast given me eyes to see, And love this sight so fair, Give me a heart to find out Thee, And read Thee every where.
G. Dyson sets stanzas 1-2, 12, 3, 5, 9
Text Authorship:
- by John Keble (1792 - 1866), "Septuagesima Sunday", appears in The Christian Year, first published 1827 [author's text checked 1 time 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
- by George Dyson (1883 - 1964), "O timely happy, timely wise", 1945-9, from Quo Vadis: a Cycle of Poems, no. 5..
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-11
Line count: 48
Word count: 272