Meter 20

O my Master, Thou art Almighty,
Great and noble, in glory famous ;
And Thou art wonderful to all with wisdom!
O Thou God Eternal of all creation,

Thou hast wondrously well created
Unseen creatures, and also those
That are seen of men! Softly Thou rulest
The bright creation with Thy craft
And power of wisdom. Thou to this world
From first beginning forth to the ending
Hast dealt out seasons, as it most suited,
In regular order, such that they ever
Are faring out, or else returning.
Thou Thy creatures that cannot move

Unto Thy will wisely compellest,
Thyself abiding still and stirless,
And unchanging for ever and ever.
None is mightier, none more famous,
Nor midst all creatures is Thy match to be found.
And as yet never hast Thou felt need
Of all the works which Thou hast wrought,
But by Thy will all Thou hast worked,
And with the power that Thou possessest
Thou hast made the world and every wight ;
Yet no need hadst Thou, none whatever,
Of all this grandeur. ’Tis great, the nature
Of Thy goodness, regard it who will ;
For they are one only in every wise,
Thou and Thy goodness. This is Thine own,
For not from without to Thee hath it come.

But this I guess surely, that Thy goodness is
Goodness almighty, Thyself, O God;

It is unlike ours in nature ;
From outside cometh all we contain
Of good in the world, from God Himself.
Thou hast no anger to aught conceived,
For to Thee nothing knoweth likeness ;
No, nor even is aught more crafty ;
For Thou all goodness by Thy contriving,
Alone in Thy counsel carried it out.
Ere Thee there was not any creature
Either to do or to leave undone;
But without pattern, Prince of mankind,

God Almighty, all Thou wroughtest,
All very good. Thou art Thyself
The Highest Good, Ah! Thou, holy Father,
After Thy will the world createdst,
This earth with Thy might madest to be,
O Chief of hosts, as Thou didst choose,
And with Thy will wieldest all things.
So Thou, true God, Thyself grantest
All good that is ; for long ago
Thou all Thy creatures first createdst
Strongly alike ; yet some there were
Not like in nature. One name Thou gavest,
One name only, to all together,
World under sky. O God of splendour !
This single name Thou partedst since,
Father, into four : first the earth,
Second water, part of the world,
Thirdly fire, and fourthly air ;
These four together form the world,
Yet each of these four hath its own birthplace,
Each possesseth its proper station,
Though each of them be with the other
Much commingled, and with the might also
Of the Father Almighty firmly united,
In harmony single, smoothly together,
By Thy command, O kindly Father,
So that none of them o’er another’s bounds
Dareth trespass, for dread of the Lord,
But these servants together suffer union,
The King’s champions, chill with heat,
Wet with dryness ; yet are they warring.
Water and earth all increase bring,
Cold in their ways the one and the other ;
Water wet and cold round the land windeth,
The all-green earth, yet either is cold,
Air is a mixture in the midst dwelling ;

Nought should we wonder that it is warm and cold,
The wet cloudbank by the wind blended ;
For midmost it lieth, as men hear tell,
’Tween fire and earth. Full many know
That highest o’er earth of all things created
Fire liveth, and land is lowest.
Oh, ’tis wonderful, Chief of war-hosts,
That with Thy bare thought Thou bringest to pass
That to every creature with clear distinction
Thou hast fixed its marches, yet hast not mixed them!
Lo! for the water wet and cold
The land as a floor firm hast Thou laid ;
For never quiet, to every quarter
Far would it flow, feeble and yielding ;
’T would never be able, for a truth do I know,
To stand by itself, but the earth it supporteth,
And some of it also sucketh adown,

So that thereafter it may for the soaking
Be washed with showers. Wherefore leaf and grass
Broad over Britain are blooming and growing,
A boon to mortals. The cold earth bringeth
Countless fruits of marvellous kinds,
For with the water wet it becometh.
But if this were not so, then would it certainly
Dry up to dust, and then be driven
By the wind afar, as oft it befalleth

That over the land ashes are blown.
On earth nothing were able to live,
Nor would it any more enjoy the water,
Nor dwell in it ever by any device,
For mere coldness, if Thou, King of angels,
Somewhat with fire the land and sea-stream
Had not mingled, and meetly measured
Cold with heat by Thy cunning power,
So that fire cannot lurid consume
Earth and sea, though it be seated
Firmly in either, the Father’s old work.
None the less marvel to me it seemeth
That earth and ocean are all unable,

Though both cold creatures, by any contrivance

Fully to quench the fire within them,
Therein planted by the Lord’s power.

Now this is a property possessed. by waters,
To live upon earth and in the clouds also,
And even on high above the heavens.
Then the rightful region of fire,
Its native home, is high o’er all creatures

That we may behold o’er this wide world ;
Though it is mingled with every member
Of world-creatures, it cannot avail
To deal to one of them deadly damage,
Save by the leave of our Life-Giver,
Even the Eternal Almighty God.
More heavy is earth than other creatures,
More stoutly welded ; for during a space
Beneath creation it nethermost lay,
Save only the firmament that this broad fabric
Outside and around each day circleth,
Yet never toucheth the earth anear,
Nor may it in one place more than another
Nearer reach ; round it speedeth
Above and beneath, yet equally near.
Every creature whereof we recount
Hath for itself its separate home ;
Yet is it likewise linked with others,

Nor may one live lonely ever,
Though dimly seen be their dwelling together.
Thus earth in fire and water is found;
The poor of wit have pains to see it,
But to the wise well it is known.
So too is fire fixed fast in water,
And in the stones still it lurketh ;
’Tis hard to see, ’tis there, however.

The Father of angels hath bound the fire
So fast and firmly that it cannot fly

Again to the region where the rest of the fire
High o’er this world in its home dwelleth.
Soon it forsaketh this frail creation,
O’ercome by cold, if it seeketh its country ;
Yet every creature craveth to go

Where its kin it findeth most crowded together.
Thou hast establish’d through Thy strong might,

King of war-hosts, in wondrous wise
The earth so firmly that she inclineth
Nought to one side, nor may she sink
This way nor that way more than she was wont,
By nought upheld of earthly nature.
It is equally easy upward or downward
For this earth of men to move at will;
This is most like to an egg, where lieth
The yolk in the middle, yet the shell moveth
Around outside ; so standeth the world
Still in its station ; with the streams round it,
The stirring floods, the air and stars,

While the gleaming shell round all glideth
Every day, and long hath done so.
O God of the nations! of threefold nature
A soul Thou hast given us, that Thou since
Movest and guidest through Thy strong might,
So that no less thereof liveth
In a single finger, even the smallest,
Than in the whole body. But a little ago
I clearly sang that the soul was

In every thane a threefold creature,
For all sages this do say,
That three natures are seen in every soul
Passion first cometh, second desire ;
The third is by nature nobler than the others,
Reason we call it; it causeth no shame,
For the beasts have it not, but to man it belongeth.
Countless creatures contain the two others ;
Nearly every beast boasteth desire,
And likewise passion each possesseth ;
Wherefore mankind, over the world,
Has other creatures all surpassed ;
For what men have the others have not,
E’en that single virtue of which we have sung.
This mighty reason in every man
Shall ever subdue desire to itself,
And likewise passion hold in its power.

She with thought the mind of a thane,
And with reflection shall rule in all things.
She hath most might in man’s spirit,
And is most perfect of all his powers.
Lo! Thou the Soul, Sender of triumph,
High King of nations, thus didst create,
So that it turneth and turneth about,
Round itself moving, e’en as all moveth,
The swift firmament fleetly whirling,
Every day, by the Lord’s great doing,
This earth encircling. So doth man’s soul
Like to a wheel she whirleth round herself,
Ofttimes thinking of that which is earthly,
The Lord’s creatures daily and nightly ;

Sometimes in thought she seeketh herself,
At others giveth heed to God Eternal,
Her own Creator. In course she goeth
Most like to a wheel, on herself whirling.
When deeply she museth on Him who made her,
Then up she is raised over herself;
But in her own self she ever abideth,

When in her fancy she followeth herself.
Lastly she falleth beneath herself far
When she admireth these frail things earthly,

And loveth them all more than law eternal.
O God of ages, Thou gavest a home
In heaven to souls ; Thou sendest them freely
Glorious gifts, God Almighty,
In measure fitting the merits of each !
These all are beaming bright in the heavens
Tn the clear night, but nevertheless
Not equal in light ; lo! we see often,
- When serene is the night, the stars in heaven,

Not all beaming with equal brightness.
O God Everlasting ! Thou didst also unite
A thing of heaven to the earthly here,
Soul to body ; ever since they abide,
Both the eternal and earthly together,
The soul in the flesh. See, ever to Thee
They yearn to go hence, for from Thee hither
They had their source, and shall seek Thee again.
But the body of man must ever abide
Here on the earth, for coming from her
He grew in the world. Together they were
No longer nor less than to them was allowed
By the Almighty, who ages aforetime
Made them comrades ; the true King is He.
He fashion’d the land, and filled it thereafter
With manifold races, as men have told me,
And sorts of beasts, mankind’s Saviour.

Then did He sow many a seed
Of trees and plants in the tracts of earth.

Grant to our minds, God Eternal,
That they may to Thee, Master of all things,
Through these miseries mount to heaven,
And from these cares, kindly Father,
Ruler of nations, may rise to Thee ;
That then with eyes open we may be able
With the eyes of the mind, through Thy aid mighty,
The fount to gaze on of all goodness,
Thyself to view, victorious God.
Grant strong sight to the gaze of our minds,

That we may on Thyself be able thereafter
To fix them firmly, Father of angels.
Scatter the mist that now for a season
Before the eyes of our understanding
Thickly hath hung, heavy and darksome.
Send, we pray Thee, to our spirits’ eyes
Thine own light, Ruler of life ;
For Thou art the brightness, benign Father,
Of the true Light ; likewise Thou art Thyself
The firm rest, Father Almighty,
Of all the true ones. Tenderly Thou suff’rest
That they may behold Thee, Yea, Thyself even.
Thou art of all things, O nations’ Ruler,
Beginning and end. O angels’ Father,
Of all things Thou bearest the burden lightly,
Never wearied. Thyself art the Way,
Aye, and the Guide, of all things living,
And the goodly Bourne to which the Way bendeth.
To Thee all mortals are moving ever,
All men from below, in the bright creation.