Fits tune: Engelberg
('All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine')
Psalm 84
********
1. O LORD of hosts, how amiable be
Your dwellings, tabernacles, which we see
My soul longs, yes, and e'en faints for your courts
For us you have us sought
2. My heart and flesh they do now true cry out
For you the living God without a doubt
The sparrow too there she a house has found
Praises to you redound
3. The swallow also has found her a nest
Where she may lay her young, e'en place the best
Even your altars, yours, O LORD of hosts
In you creation boasts
4. Blesséd are they that in your house do dwell
They will be praising you, your goodness tell
Blesséd are they whose strength is all in you
You will help them, renew
5. And blessed too are they who have their hearts set
To know your ways, they shall not fear or fret
Passing through Baca's* valley, sorrows dell
They turn it to a well
6. The rain too fills the pools, waters the land
Provided sure from God and His strong hand
Such who trust in Him go from strength to strength
Prospering through life's length
7. Each one of them before God does appear
In Zion, His city, they love Him dear
O LORD of hosts, my prayer hear, you our shield
To you our praise we yield
8. Look upon us, see your anointed ones
Your children, people, us your daughters, sons
For one day in your courts it better is
Than any other bliss
9. Yes, better than thousand days spent elsewhere
For we in sweet communion with you share
I rather doorkeeper in your house be
Than dwell with wicked, see
10. For you LORD God to us are sun and shield
You will give us grace, glory, free, unstealed**
No good thing to the upright you withhold
We be blessed in your fold
*************
* Baca - a valley of sorrow or weeping
(unsure of origin of the word).
** unstealed is not actually a word,
but I use poetic licence.
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Author:
orchidee (
Offline) - Published: May 29th, 2017 09:14
- Comment from author about the poem: A hymn-poem in 10 10 10 4 metre. It would also fit 10 10 10 6.
- Category: Spiritual
- Views: 41
Offline)
Comments7
Even Wikipedia seems unsure about the origin of 'Baca'. It suggests one instance of it being Mecca, though says this is inappropriate for Christianity. It means 'sorrow or weeping' In some sense. A sort of mournful 'down in the dumps' we might say.
But the tears of weeping in the Psalm (verse 5 of the poem) is turned into a well, in this imagery.
Construction, metre etc etc all perfect as always O
Thanks M.
Thanks once again STEVEN ~ for an excellent TUNE and a classic poem in the same meter. Love all your poems and will use them in Services stc. A lot of POEMS on MPS don't scan ! However because you base all yours on standard Hymn Meter ~ they both scan & rhyme. I am a Performance Poet and your Poems are both relatively easy to recite and consequently easy to listen to and understand ! It is the meter (iambic pentameter) that makes Shakespeare beautiful listen to and for the Actors to perform. The same is true of Hymn Singing ~ Ancient & Modern and it is what makes Carol Singing so Universal & Enjoyable Worldwide ! Thanks BRIAN..
Thanks Brian. There is 'Irregular Metre' too, you may know, sometimes called 'Peculiar Metre' (aren't we all 'peculiar?! lol). Also, I aim to be fairly simple, yet we know there are word-pictures, imagery, symbolism, etc in the Scriptures. I suppose it's no use me being too complicated. if I dunno what I'm on about, how will anyone else know?! i.e. if I get all complicated and involved. And yet, some things can only be 'spiritually discerned' as the good book says!
Another daily inspirational reminder .
Like the use of unstealed.
Thanks A. I thought, Erm, what rhymes with 'shield'?!
Another good one Orchi.
Thanks G/F. Some versions of the original seem to have two Alleluias as the last line of each verse. Often I find, if a hymn has more than one tune, more subdued churches will always choose the less lively tune!
Did you find all that info on Wikipedia though, Soul? I recall reading it there, though I didn't type it all up, as you have done. Useful to know though.
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