Hymns (1948, 1979),
no. 336
O My Father (Male Chorus)
O My Father (Male Chorus)
1. O my Father, thou that dwellestin the high and glorious place,When shall I regain thy presenceAnd again behold thy face?In thy holy habitationDid my spirit once reside?In my first primeval childhood,Was I nurtured near thy side?
2. For a wise and glorious purposethou hast placed me here on earth,And withheld the recollectionOf my former friends and birth.Yet ofttimes a secret somethingWhispered, “You’re a stranger here.”And I felt that I had wanderedFrom a more exalted sphere.
3. I had learned to call thee, Father,Through thy Spirit from on high;But until the key of knowledgewas restored I knew not why.In the heavens are parents single?No; the thought makes reason stare!Truth is reason; truth eternal,Tells me I’ve a mother there.
4. When I leave this frail existence,When I lay this mortal by,Father, Mother, may I meet youIn your royal courts on high?Then at length, when I’ve completedAll you sent me forth to do,With your mutual approbation,Let me come and dwell with you,and dwell with you.