Poems (Cook)/Hallowed be Thy Name
HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
List to the dreamy tone that dwells In rippling wave, or sighing tree;Go, hearken to the old church bells; The whistling bird, the whirring bee:Interpret right, and ye will find 'Tis "power and glory" they proclaim:The chimes, the creatures, waters, wind; All publish, "hallowed be Thy name!"
The pilgrim journeys till he bleeds, To gain the altar of his sires;The hermit pores above his beads, With zeal that never wanes nor tires:But holiest rite or longest prayer That soul can yield or wisdom frame;What better import can it bear Than "Father! hallowed be Thy name!
The savage kneeling to the sun, To give his thanks or ask a boon—The raptures of the idiot one Who laughs to see the clear round moon—The saint well taught in Christian lore— The Moslem prostrate at his flame—All worship, wonder, and adore; All end in, "hallowed be Thy name!"
Whate'er may be man's faith or creed, Those precious words comprise it still;We trace them on the bloomy mead, We hear them in the flowing rill.One chorus hails the Great Supreme; Each varied breathing tells the same.The strains may differ; but the theme Is, "Father, hallowed be Thy name!"