Nature

Long-suffering of God

by Christopher Smart 1722–1771

From Hymns for the Amusement of Children (1771)

NatureReligion

One hundred feet from off the ground
That noble Aloe blows;
But mark ye by what skill profound
His charming grandeur rose.

One hundred years of patient care
The gard'ners did bestow,
Toil and hereditary pray'r
Made all this glorious shew.

Thus man goes on from year to year,
And bears no fruit at all;
But gracious God, still unsevere,
Bids show'rs of blessings fall.

The beams of mercy, dews of grace,
Our Saviour still supplies —
Ha! ha! the soul regains her place,
And sweetens all the skies.

✦ ✦ ✦

A hymn on the aloe that flowers after a hundred years of care, and on God's patience with a fruitless man.

MLA

Smart, Christopher. “Long-suffering of God.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/smart/14/.

Chicago

Smart, Christopher. “Long-suffering of God.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/smart/14/.

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