O My Father (hymn)

POETRY. For the Times and Seasons. MY FATHER IN HEAVEN; BY MISS ELIZA R. SNOW

O my Father, thou that dwellest In the high and glorious place; When shall I regain thy presence, And again behold thy face? In thy holy habitation Did my spirit once reside? In my first primeval childhood Was I nurtur'd near thy side? For a wise and glorious purpose Thou hast plac'd me here on earth, And withheld the recollection Of my former friends and birth: Yet oft times a secret something Whispered you're a stranger here; And I felt that I had wandered From a more exalted sphere. I had learn'd to call thee father Through thy spirit from on high; But until the key of knowledge Was restor'd, I knew not why. In the heav'ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare; Truth is reason&mdash;truth eternal Tells me I've a mother there. When I leave this frail existence&mdash; When I lay this mortal by, Father, mother, may I meet you In your royal court on high? Then, at length, when I've completed All you sent me forth to do, With your mutual approbation Let me come and dwell with you. City of Joseph, Oct. 1845.