Evening
by HENRY KIRKE WHITE (1785-1806)
O Lord, another day is flown;
And we, a lonely band,
Are met once more before thy throne
To bless thy fostering hand.
And wilt thou lend a listening ear
To praises low as ours?
Thou wilt! for thou dost love to hear
The song which meekness pours.
And, Jesus, thou thy smiles wilt deign
As we before thee pray:
For thou didst bless the infant train,
And we are less than they.
Oh, let thy grace perform its part,
And let contention cease;
And shed abroad in every heart
Thine everlasting peace!
Thus chastened, cleansed, entirely thine,
A flock by Jesus led,
The Sun of holiness shall shine
In glory on our head.
|
According to the A Library of Religious Poetry (1885), Henry Kirke White came to the attention of poet Robert Southey when in his 18th year, he published a volume of poems. However, just three years later, Henry died at the age of 21 “from over-study” at Cambridge. In the introduction of “The Life and Remains of Henry Kirke White” (1825), such dedication is discouraged:”His early death, in the attainment of celebrity beyond his years, should act as a caution to other youths not to indulge an ambitious spirit at the expense of health and life; but to use moderation, even in the laudable pursuit of language and science, and to believe that perseverance, with health, will, in the long run, better secure the objects which they have in view.” |
Henry Kirke White Contemporaries
Lord Byron
Thomas Love Peacock
Leigh Hunt
Recent Comments