Could We Refuse?

Could we re­fuse a song of praise

This East­er morn to sing?

Should we re­fuse

the ve­ry stones

A song of praise would ring.

The earth has brok­en win­ter’s thrall

The birds begin to sing;

The trees put forth their ten­der shoots

And thus their prais­es bring;

The ve­ry air is puls­ing

too

With mu­sic all around;

The flow­ers look from gras­sy nooks

As wak­ened by the sound.

The sun rolls high­er on his path

Rejoicing in his ways;

The streams have burst their icy bonds

To join the song of praise.

For O

one far off East­er morn

Christ cleft the realms of night;

He gained the vic­tor’s glo­ri­ous crown

And gave us life and light;

He broke the bonds of death and hell

The world has suf­fered long

And gave us themes of life and love

For each new East­er song.