by Francisco de Aldana (1540 - 1578)
Translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
O Lord! who seest, from yon starry...
Language: English after the Spanish (Español)
O Lord! who seest, from yon starry height, Centred in one the future and the past, Fashioned in thine own image, see how fast The world obscures in me what once was bright! Eternal Sun! the warmth which thou hast given, To cheer life's flowery April, fast decays; Yet in the hoary winter of my days, Forever green shall be my trust in Heaven. Celestial King! O let thy presence pass Before my spirit, and an image fair Shall meet that look of mercy from on high, As the reflected image in a glass Doth meet the look of him who seeks it there, And owes its being to the gazer's eye.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "The image of God", appears in Voices of the Night, first published 1839 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Spanish (Español) by Francisco de Aldana (1540 - 1578), "La imágen de Dios" [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Charles Wood (1866 - 1926), "O Lord that seest from yon starry height", published 1919 [ satb chorus and organ ], anthem [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 112