Classic Poem

1.

Thy Mercy, Lord, amidst my woes,
To my desiring eyes disclose;
Propitious to thy servant's heart
Thy wonted clemency impart:

2.

Let me, my hope on Thee reclin'd,
Beneath thy wings a refuge sind,
Till thy prevailing beams dispel
The clouds of grief that o'er me dwell.

3.

To Thee, the God who reigns on high,
To Thee with suppliant voice I cry,
Assur'd that Thou, indulgent still,
My plaint shalt hear, my pray'r fulfil,

4.

Thy timeliest aid from heav'n extend,
My fame from obloquy defend,
And bid thy Truth and Mercy shed
Their kindest influence on my head.

5.

The Lions round me roar aloud;
And, fir'd with causeless rage, a Croud
Advance, (thy foes, eternal Lord,)
Whose teeth are spears, whose tongue a sword.

6.

Inthron'd thyself above the skies,
O bid thy fullest glory rise,
And to the earth with cloudless ray
The wonders of thy pow'r display.

7.

Oft, as amid the snares I tread,
Each hour by hostile fraud outspread,
What clouds of grief around me roll,
What dreadful storms invade my soul!

8.

What fears, what woes, my bosom prove!
Yet, sav'd by thy preventing Love,
Th' artificers of death I see
Fall'n in the pit prepar'd for me.

9.

My heart is fix'd, Almighty Sire,
My heart is fix'd: to Thee aspire
My thoughts, and dictate to my lays
An argument of endless praise.

10.

Awake, thou glory of my frame,
Awake, my tongue, to loud acclaim;
Psalt'ry awake, and joyful pay
To God the tribute of the day;

11.

Awake my lute, and new-strung lyre;
Instinct, myself, with holy fire
I wake; and lo, the dawning sun
Already hears the strain begun.

12.

From Me assembling crouds shall burn
The triumphs of thy Love to learn,
And, rapt with zeal, the Nations round
Catch from my lips the sacred sound.

13.

Lo! to the clouds thy Truth extends,
And Heav'n's stupendous height transcends;
Far as to earth's extremest bound
In all thy works is mercy found:

14.

Inthron'd thyself above the skies,
O bid thy fullest glory rise,
And to the earth with cloudless ray
The wonders of thy pow'r display.