Saturday, August 8, 2015

O, Mother Dear, Jerusalem

(A hymn/poem about heaven.  Singable to "America the Beautiful")

O mother dear, Jerusalem*,
When shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end,
Thy joys when shall I see?
O happy harbor of God's saints!
O sweet and pleasant soil!
In thee no sorrow may be found,
No grief, no care, no toil.


Thy gardens and thy gallant walks
Continually are green;
 There grow such sweet and pleasant flow’rs,

As nowhere else are seen.
 There trees forever more bear fruit,
And evermore do spring,
There evermore the angels sit,
And evermore do sing
.

 
Jerusalem, my happy home,
Would God I were in thee!
Would God my woes were at an end,
Thy joys that I might see!
No murky cloud o'ershadows thee,
 Nor gloom, nor darksome night;
 But every soul shines as the sun,
 For God Himself gives light
.
 

 
 
by  F.B.P.; medieval
 

2 comments:

David C Brown said...

Home!

C. Marie Byars said...

Home, indeed. I have long loved this hymn. It came back to mind with the recent death of a sister-in-law... only in her early 50's. And such a struggle with her final illness. Home for her. But it's good for all of us to be aware of our real "home". Keeps things in perspective.