William Henry Furness (1802–1896)

SLOWLY by thy hand unfurled,

Down around the weary world

Falls the darkness. Oh, how still

Is the working of thy will!

Mighty Maker! Here am I,

Work in me as silently;

Veil the day’s distracting sights,

Show me heaven’s eternal lights.

From the darkened sky come forth

Countless stars. A wondrous birth!

So may gleams of glory dart

From this dim abyss, my heart.

Living worlds to view be brought

In the boundless realms of thought;

High and infinite desires,

Flashing like those upper fires.

Holy Truth, Eternal Right,

Let them break upon my sight;

Let them shine, serene and still,

And with light my being fill.

Thou, who dwellest there, I know,

Dwellest here within me, too;

May the perfect love of God,

Here, as there, be shed abroad.

Let my soul attunèd be

To the heavenly harmony,

Which, beyond the power of sound,

Fills the Universe around.