Hymn of the City.
Not in the solitude1
Alone, may man commune with Heaven, or see2
Only in savage wood3
And sunny vale the present Deity ;4
Or only hear his voice5
Where the winds whisper and the waves rejoice.6
Even here do I behold7
Thy steps, Almighty !— here, amidst the crowd8
Through the great city rolled,9
With everlasting murmur deep and loud—10
Choking the ways that wind11
Mongst the proud piles, the work of human kind.12
Thy golden sunshine comes13
From the round heaven, and on their dwellings lies,14
And lights their inner homes—15
For them thou fill’st with air the unbounded skies,16
And givest them the stores17
Of ocean, and the harvests of its shores.18
Thy spirit is around,19
Quickening the restless mass that sweeps along,20
And this eternal sound—21
Voices and footfalls of the numberless throng—22
Like the resounding sea,23
Or like the rainy tempest, speaks of Thee.24
And when the hours of rest25
Come, like a calm upon the mid-sea brine,26
Hushing its billowy breast—27
The quiet of that moment too is thine ;28
It breathes of Him who keeps29
The vast and helpless City while it sleeps.30