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by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)

Thou art, O God, the life and light
Language: English 
Thou art, O God, the life and light
Of all this wond'rous world we see;
Its glow by day, its smile by night,
Are but reflections caught from Thee.
Where'er we turn Thy glories shine,
And all things fair and bright are Thine!

When day, with farewell beam, delays
Among the op'ning clouds of even,
And we can almost think we gaze
Through golden vistas into heaven --
Those hues that make the sun's decline
So soft, so radiant, Lord! are Thine.

When night, with wings of starry gloom,
O'ershadows all the earth and skies,
Like some dark, beauteous bird, whose plume
Is sparkling with unnumbered eyes --
That sacred gloom, those fires divine,
So grand, so countless, Lord! are Thine.

When youthful Spring around us breathes,
Thy Spirit warms her fragrant sigh;
And every flower the summer wreathes
Is born beneath that kindling eye.
Where'er we turn, Thy glories shine,
And all things fair and bright are Thine!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "Thou art, O God", appears in Sacred Songs, first published 1816 [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):

  • by Alfred Paulsen , "Thou art, O God, the life and light", published 1927 [ SATB chorus and organ ], Chicago: H. T. FitzSimons [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Oliver Shaw (1779 - 1848), "All things fair & bright are Thine", c1817, first performed 1817 [ duet with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in French (Français), a translation by Thomas Gounet (1801 - 1869) [an adaptation] ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
    • Go to the text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-02-16
Line count: 24
Word count: 157

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