James Montgomery (1771-1854). Miscellaneous Poems. VI. The Field of the World ("Sow in the morn"). Alfred H. Miles, ed. 1907. The Sacred Poets of the Nineteenth Century

Alfred H. Miles, ed. The Sacred Poets of the Nineteenth Century. 1907.

Miscellaneous Poems.
VI. The Field of the World (“Sow in the morn”)

By James Montgomery (1771–1854)


1832 SOW in the morn thy seed,
At eve hold not thine hand;
To doubt and fear give thou no heed,
Broad-cast it o’er the land.

Beside all waters sow;	5
The highway furrows stock;
Drop it where thorns and thistles grow:
Scatter it on the rock.

The good, the fruitful ground,
Expect not here nor there;	10
O’er hill and dale, by plots, ’tis found:
Go forth, then, everywhere.

Thou know’st not which may thrive,
The late or early sown:
Grace keeps the precious germs alive,	15
When and wherever strown.

And duly shall appear,
In verdure, beauty, strength,
The tender blade, the stalk, the ear,
And the full corn at length.	20

Thou canst not toil in vain:
Cold, heat, and moist, and dry,
Shall foster and mature the grain
For garners in the sky.

Thence, when the glorious end,	25
The day of God is come,
The angel-reapers shall descend,
And heaven cry—“Harvest home.”