Ah! beautiful for a gift of mine,
The sunny gold, I ween,
The sapphire blue, the diamond's shine,
The emerald's deep sea-green.
'Twas I that put them in the earth,
I, clothed as an Angel of Light,
'Twas I that knew their secret worth,
And hid them out of sight.
And every hidden lovely gem
Is guarded o'er by one of them—
The Spirits of the Night.
Then Adam's sons, they found the gold,
They found the diamond bright,
They found the topaz golden clear,
The ruby's ruddy light.
They little knew, full well I ween,
By whom the gift was given,
They found the gold, the emerald green,
They lost the way to Heaven!