Classic Poem

O HOW amiable are
Thy abodes, Great God of war!
How I languish through restraint,
How my longing spirits faint!
Lord, for Thee I daily cry,
In Thy absence hourly die.
Sparrows there their young ones rear,
And the summer's harbinger
By Thy altar builds her nest,
Where they take their envied rest.
O my King! O thou Most High!
Arbiter of victory!
Happy men, who spend their days
In Thy courts, there sing Thy praise.
Happy, who on Thee depend!
Thine their way, and Thou their end.
Who through Baca travelling,
Make that thirsty vale a spring;
Or soft show'rs from clouds distill,
And their empty cisterns fill.
Fresh in strength their course pursue,
Till they Thee in Sion view.
Lord of Hosts, incline Thine ear,
O Thou God of Jacob, hear!
Thou our Rock, extend Thy grace,
Look on Thy Anointed's Face.
One day in Thy courts alone
Far exceeds a million.
Let me be contemn'd and poor,
In Thy temple keep a door,
Than with wicked men possess
All that they call happiness.
O Thou Shield of our defence,
O Thou Sun, Whose influence
Sweetly glides into our hearts,
Thou, Who all to Thine imparts,
Happy, O thrice happy he,
Who alone depends on Thee!