Poems by Felicia Dorothea Browne/Part of the 104th Psalm, Paraphrased

by Felicia Hemans

PART OF

THE 104th PSALM, PARAPHRASED.

My fervent soul shall bless the Lord,
And sing Jehovah's name ador'd.
Oh God! how great are all thy ways,
Demanding gratitude and praise;
Honour and majesty are thine,
And beams of light around thee shine;
Thy hand extends the arch on high,
The azure curtain of the sky;
The clouds thy regal chariot form;
Thou ridest on the rushing storm;
Amidst the regions of the air,
The winds thy car triumphal bear:
To thee enraptur'd spirits bend,
And angels round thy throne attend;
While lightnings in thy presence beam,
The ministers of power supreme.
At thy behest the earth appear'd,
On firm eternal basis rear'd:
The floods arose at thy command,
And spread their mantle o'er the land:

Thy word rebuk'd the swelling deep;
The waters rush'd from every steep;
The thunders echoed, and they fled,
And sought their peaceful destin'd bed;
Jehovah's power restrain'd their force,
And limited their whelming course:
He bade the lucid fountains flow,
Meandering thro' the vales below;
They fertilize the plains and fields,
And nature all her treasure yields.

Beside their banks with verdure drest,
The woodland songsters form their nest;
Amidst the shade of waving trees,
They pour the sweetest melodies;
The wild spontaneous hymn they raise,
And sing their great Creator's praise.