The Complete Poems of Sir Thomas Moore Part 99

BEHOLD THE SUN.

(AIR.--LORD MORNINGTON.)

Behold the Sun, how bright From yonder East he springs, As if the soul of life and light Were breathing from his wings.

So bright the Gospel broke Upon the souls of men; So fresh the dreaming world awoke In Truth's full radiance then.

Before yon Sun arose, Stars cl.u.s.tered thro' the sky-- But oh how dim, how pale were those, To His one burning eye!

So Truth lent many a ray, To bless the Pagan's night-- But, Lord, how weak, how cold were they To Thy One glorious Light!

LORD, WHO SHALL BEAR THAT DAY.

(AIR.--DR. BOYCE.)

Lord, who shall bear that day, so dread, so splendid, When we shall see thy Angel hovering o'er This sinful world with hand to heaven extended, And hear him swear by Thee that time's no more?[1]

When Earth shall feel thy fast consuming ray-- Who, Mighty G.o.d, oh who shall bear that day?

When thro' the world thy awful call hath sounded-- "Wake, all ye Dead, to judgment wake, ye Dead!"

And from the clouds, by seraph eyes surrounded, The Saviour shall put forth his radiant head;[2]

While Earth and Heaven before Him pa.s.s away[3]-- Who, Mighty G.o.d, oh who shall bear that day?

When, with a glance, the Eternal Judge shall sever Earth's evil spirits from the pure and bright, And say to _those_, "Depart from me for ever!"

To _these_, "Come, dwell with me in endless light!"[4]

When each and all in silence take their way-- Who, Mighty G.o.d, oh who shall bear that day?

[1] And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and swear by Him that liveth for ever and ever...that there should be time no longer."--_Rev_. x. 5, 6.

[2] "They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven--and all the angels with him."--_Matt_. xxiv. 90, and xxv. 80.

[3] "From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away."--_Rev_. xx. ii.

[4] "And before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another.

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, etc.

"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, etc.

"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal."

--_Matt_ xxv. 32, _et seq_.

OH, TEACH ME TO LOVE THEE.

(AIR.--HAYDN.)

Oh, teach me to love Thee, to feel what thou art, Till, filled with the one sacred image, my heart Shall all other pa.s.sions disown; Like some pure temple that shines apart, Reserved for Thy worship alone.

In joy and in sorrow, thro' praise and thro' blame, Thus still let me, living and dying the same, In _Thy_ service bloom and decay-- Like some lone altar whose votive flame In holiness wasteth away.

Tho' born in this desert, and doomed by my birth To pain and affliction, to darkness and dearth, On Thee let my spirit rely-- Like some rude dial, that, fixt on earth, Still looks for its light from the sky.

WEEP, CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.

(AIR.--STEVENSON.)

Weep, weep for him, the Man of G.o.d--[1]

In yonder vale he sunk to rest; But none of earth can point the sod[2]

That flowers above his sacred breast.

Weep, children of Israel, weep!

His doctrine fell like Heaven's rain.[3]

His words refreshed like Heaven's dew-- Oh, ne'er shall Israel see again A Chief, to G.o.d and her so true.

Weep, children of Israel, weep!

Remember ye his parting gaze, His farewell song by Jordan's tide, When, full of glory and of days, He saw the promised land--and died.[4]

Weep, children of Israel, weep!

Yet died he not as men who sink, Before our eyes, to soulless clay; But, changed to spirit, like a wink Of summer lightning, past away.[5]

Weep, children of Israel, weep!

[1] "And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab."-- _Deut_. x.x.xiv, 8.

[2] "And, he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab...but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day."--_Ibid_. ver. 6.

[3] "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew."--_Moses' Song_.