I love to sit, at twilight ev’n,
And watch the glittering stars of night,
Those emblems pure, of nature’s Heav’n,
And praise the God who gave them light.
I love to rise, at break of morn,
To wander o’er the fertile plain,
Where warblers sweet proclaim the dawn,
And fill the air with joyful strain.
I love to view the limpid stream,
As it meanders gently by,
When sunset, with its ling’ring beam
And golden tinge, illumes the sky.
I love the balmy air of eve,
With dewy tears and zephyr sighs;
The ruffled mind it doth relieve,
And soothes the spirit ere it flies.
I love the glorious orb of day,
That lends a sunshine to the heart,
With radiance gilds life’s dreary way,
And sheds on all an equal part.
I love to see a noble bark,
Gallantly ploughing the heaving sea,
When lightning’s flash and thunders dark,
Remind us of Eternity.
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I love a fair and winning face,
And noble soul, with worth of mind,
A gentle and bewitching grace,
With truth and innocence combin’d.
I love the bud and blooming rose,
Whose grace and perfume give delight;
The violet that humbly grows,
And wins the sense and charms the sight.
I love, ‘bove all, fair nature’s Lord,
Who made the earth, the sea, the sky;
The Architect, by all adored,
The God supreme, who dwells on high.