Shall we gather [by]1 the river,
Where bright [angel's]2 feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
Yes, we'll gather [by]1 the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
[Gather with the saints by the river]3
That flows by the throne of God.4
Ere we reach the shining river
Lay we every burden down,
Praise our spirits will deliver
And provide our robe and crown.
Yes, we'll gather at the river.
The beautiful, the beautiful, river.
Gather with the saints at the river,
That flows by the throne of God.
Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
Yes, we'll gather by the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.
C. Ives sets stanzas 1-2
A. Copland sets stanzas 1-2, 5-6
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Ives: "at"
2 Ives: "angel"
3 Ives: "Yes, we'll gather at the river"
4 Ives adds "Shall we gather? Shall we gather at the river?"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990), "At the river", 1952, first performed 1958, stanzas 1-2,5-6 [ baritone and piano or orchestra ], from Old American Songs, Second Set, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Edward Ives (1874 - 1954), "At the river", 1916, stanzas 1-2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) (Yen-Chiang Che) , "在河邊", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2005-09-19
Line count: 24
Word count: 147
我們要不要將聚集在河邊
天使的雙足曾踏過此處
隨著河面永恆的水波閃耀
從 神的寶座下流出
是的 我們將聚集在河邊
美麗的河水
與眾聖徒一同聚集在河邊
從 神的寶座下流出
不久 我們將抵達生命河邊
不久 我們的人生旅程將要結束
不久 我們快樂的心要顫動
奏出和平的旋律
是的 我們將聚集在河邊
美麗的河水
與眾聖徒一同聚集在河邊
從 神的寶座下流出
