English text
Isaac Watts, Horae Lyricae, 1706, pp. 25-27
1. Praise ye the Lord with joyful tongue,
Ye powers that guard his throne;
Jesus, the man, shall lead the song,
The God inspire the tune.
2. Gabriel, and all the immortal choir
That fills the realms above,
Sing; for he formed you of his fire,
And feeds you with his love.
3. Shine to his praise, ye crystal skies,
The floor of his abode;
Or veil your little twinkling eyes
Before a brighter God.
4. Thou restless globe of golden light,
Whose beams create our days,
Join with the silver queen of night,
To own your borrowed rays.
5. Blush, and refund the honors paid
To your inferior names:
Tell the blind world your orbs are fed
By his o'er-flowing flames.
6. Winds, ye shall bear his name aloud
Through the ethereal blue;
For, when his chariot is a cloud,
He makes his wheels of you.
7. Thunder and hail, and fires and storms,
The troops of his command,
Appear, in all your dreadful forms,
And speak his awful hand.
8. Shout to the Lord, ye surging seas,
In your eternal roar;
Let wave to wave resound his praise,
And shore reply to shore;
9. While monsters, sporting on the flood,
In scaly silver shine,
Speak terribly their Maker, God,
And lash the foaming brine.
10. But gentler things shall tune his name
To softer notes than these;
Young zephyrs breathing o'er the stream.
Or whispering through the trees.
11. Wave your tall heads, ye lofty pines,
To him that bade you grow;
Sweet clusters bend the fruitful vines
On every thankful bough.
12. Let the shrill birds his honor raise,
And climb the morning sky;
While groveling beads attempt his praise
In hoarser harmony.
13. Thus, while the meaner creatures sing.
Ye mortals take the sound;
Echo the glories of your King
Through all the nations round.
14. The eternal name must fly abroad
From Britain to Japan;
And the whole race shall bow to God
That owns the name of man.
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Jeremy Belknap, Sacred Poetry, 1795, pp. 255-257
1. Praise ye the Lord, immortal choir,
Who fill the realms above,
Praise him, who formed you of his fire,
And feeds you with his love.
2. Shine to his praise, ye crystal skies,
The floor of his abode;
Or veil the luster of your eyes.
Before a brighter God.
3. Thou central globe of golden light,
Whose beams create our days;
Join with the silver queen of night,
To own your borrowed rays.
4. Blush and refund the honors paid,
To your inferior names;
Tell the blind world your orbs are fed
By his exhaustless flames.
5. Winds, ye shall bear his name aloud,
Through the ethereal blue!
For when his chariot is a cloud,
He makes his wheels of you.
6. Thunder and hail, and fire and storms,
The troops of his command,
Appear in all your awful forms
And speak his potent hand.
Second Part
1. Shout to the Lord, ye surging seas,
In your eternal roar;
Let wave to wave resound his praise,
And shore reply to shore.
2. While fishes sporting on the flood,.
In scaly silver shine;
Proclaim their mighty maker God
Amidst the foaming brine.
3. But gentler things shall tune his name
To softer notes than these;
Young zephyrs breathing o'er the stream
Or whispering through the trees.
4. Wave your tall heads ye lofty pines
To him who makes you grow;
Sweet clusters bend the fruitful vine,
On every thankful bough.
5. Let the shrill birds his honor raise,
And climb the morning sky;
While groveling beasts attempt his praise
In hoarser harmony.
6. Thus while the meaner creatures sing,
Ye mortals take the sound;
Echo the glories of your King
Through all the nations round.
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