PRAISE for thy God, O Zion, waits,
Zion, within thy temple-gates;
To thee, O thou that hearest prayer,
All tribes shall come and worship there.
Lord, our transgressions, we confess
Are great, o’erwhelming, numberless;
But thou hast cleansed our souls within,
And freely pardoned all our sin.
Happy are they – yea happier far
Than prosperous worldlings ever are –
Whom thou hast chos’n, and made to dwell
On Zion’s blest and holy hill.
Assembled there to pay our vows,
And taste the goodness of thy house,
Lord, fill us from thy holy place
With thy soul-satisfying grace!
So wondrous, Lord, and gracious are
Thine answers to thy people’s prayer,
Far distant lands shall trust in thee,
And dwellers on the farthest sea.
Girt with almighty power, thy hand
Plants the vast mountains on the land;
Thy voice to the loud waves speaks peace,
And bids the people’s tumults cease.
Remotest tribes are thrilled with fear,
When in the heavens thy signs appear;
Anon thou utterest thy dread voice,
And east and west alike rejoice.
Thou visitest with refreshing rain
The earth, enriching it amain;
Abundantly thy streamlets flow,
Preparing corn for man to grow.
Thus, gracious God, thy bounteous hand
Softens, revives, and heals the land;
And with mild showers of blissful rain,
Makes all her valleys bloom again.
Thou blessest, Lord, the earth’s fair spring,
When every tree is blossoming;
Th’ advancing year thy bounties crown,
And all thy clouds drop fatness down.
Even where the flocks half-famished stray,
To distant pastures far away,
The fertilizing shower descends
To cheer the waste and dreary lands.
Then are the little hills made glad;
With bleating flocks the plains are clad;
The vales afford their rich supply;
And all creation shouts for joy.
(John Dunmore Lang)
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Based on Topics: God Poems, Nature Poems, War & Peace Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Happiness Poems, Fear Poems, Spring Poems, Power Poems, Prayers Poems, People Poems, Sin PoemsBased on Keywords: enriching, fatness, transgressions, fertilizing, utterest, blessest, chos, half-famished, temple-gates