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The Bower of Prayer 100
Tune: Arranged by Elisha J. King, 1844
Alto: Mrs. Anna L. (Cooper) Blackshear, 1902
Lyrics: Thomas Ormsby, 1821
Meter: 11s (11,11,11,11)
To leave my dear friends, and with neighbors to part,
And go from my home it afflicts not my heart,
Like thoughts of absenting myself for a day
From the bless�d retreat, where I�ve chosen to pray.
Dear bow�r, where the pine and the poplar have spread,
And wove with their branches a roof o�er my head;
How oft have I knelt on the evergreen there,
And pour�d out my soul to my Savior in prayer.
The early shrill notes of the loved nightingale,
That dwelt in my bow�r I observed as my bell,
To call me to duty, while birds of the air
Sang anthems of praises as I went to prayer.
How sweet were the zephyrs perfumed by the pine,
The ivy, the balsam, and wild eglantine;
But sweeter, ah! sweeter, superlative were
The joys I have tasted in answer to prayer.
For Jesus, my Savior, oft deign�d there to meet
And bless�d with His presence my humble retreat;
Oft fill�d me with rapture and blessedness there
Indicting, in heaven�s own language, my prayer.
Dear bow�r, I must leave you and bid you adieu,
And pay my devotion in parts that are new;
For Jesus, my Savior, resides everywhere,
And can in all places give answer to prayer.