Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 5.djvu/79

 LAUDATE DOMINUM. 63

��LAUD ATE DOMINUM.

��BY S. P. DRIVER.

From mountain-top, from brook, and brae, and dingle, From sui-ge-swept beaches, and from sleepless pine,

Sounds the full cadence of the Song Eternal, Swells the Great Anthem taught by Lips Divine.

To everj' ear attuned to Music's numbers, For each true soul alive to Music's sense,

Mingle the drum-beats of the marching cycles With solemn lyrics of Omnipotence.

The air is full of chime, and dirge, and p^ean.

From heaven's own thunder, to the babe's low cry,

From cliirp of linnet to Niagara's choral, One long, unbroken throb of harmony.

The Storms dread lyre is voiced to variant measures. When dewj' lingers press its viewless strings;

And, over frozen seas, the Snow-King's fairies. Like song-birds, beat the thin ;ur with their wings.

Across the leaf-hung harp-strings of the forest, Ood's breezes sweep, with lingers deft and free;

While bird and bee. with wing-beats in rehearsal. Thrill the hot air with wealth of chord and key.

Day unto night shouts jubilant hosannas. And night to day, in starry chords, replies.

All speech and language, many-iongued, preluding The Symphony Eternal of the Skies.

The lips, slow-parted, of the thronging Ages, Bring us stray snatches of melodic rhyme.

Glad Jubilates of the golden present. And grand Te Deums of the ancient time.

Thro' the dim archways of the past, come stealing The half-spent echoes of Creation's Hymn ;

And, liigh above the noisy strife of Nations, Peal the responsive chants of Cherubim.

Down through the misty portals of the future The years go singing past our narrow ken ;

"Glorj^ to God! " the burthen of their singing. While Heaven's far echoes answer, " Peace to men ! "

All hail ! blest gift of song ! the Omnipresent !

Peal on ! O, Symphony of God's high praise ! Till, in the presence of the One Great Master,

Song-pupils, we attempt th' unending lays.

Then, over seas of glass and pastures greener, '* Glory to God ! " shall echo once again.

And Heaven's great chorus, with unnumbered voices, Sing "Hallelujah," aud the long *■' Ameu."

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