LAMB. I praise my loving Lord, Who maketh me LION. I praise the Lion of the Royal Race, ALL MEN. All creatures sing around us, and we sing : ISRAEL. Flock of our Shepherd's pasture and His fold, PRIESTS. We free-will Shepherds tend His sheep, and feed; We follow Him while caring for their need; We follow praising Him, and them we lead. SERVANTS Of God. We love God, for He loves us; we are free HOLY AND HUMBLE PERSONS. All humble souls he calls and sanctifies s; BABES. He maketh me, And. me, And me, To be His blessed little ones around His knee, Who praise Him by mere love confidingly. WOMEN. God makes our service love, and makes our wage Love so we wend on patient pilgrimage, Extolling Him by love from age to age. ΜΕΝ. God gives us power to rule: He gives us power To rule ourselves, and prune the exuberant flower Of youth, and worship Him hour after hour. SPIRITS AND SOULS Lo, in the hidden world we chant our chant With milky mouths we praise God, from the breast OF WOMEN We praise His Will which made us what He would, His Will which fashioned us and called us good, His Will our plenary beatitude. OF MEN. We praise His Will Who bore with us so long, Who out of weakness wrought us swift and strong, Champions of right and putters-down of wrong. ALL. Let everything that hath or hath not breath, Let days and endless days, let life and death, Praise God, praise God, praise God, His creature saith. LATER LIFE: A DOUBLE SONNET OF SONNETS. I. EFORE the mountains were brought forth, before BE Earth and the world were made, then God was God: And God will still be God, when flames shall roar And this God is our God for evermore Through life, through death, while clod returns to clod. For though He slay us we will trust in Him; We will flock home to Him by divers ways: Yea, though He slay us we will vaunt His praise, Serving and loving with the Cherubim, Watching and loving with the Seraphim, Our very selves His praise through endless days. |