Enthroned amid the Seraphim

Enthroned amid the se­ra­phim

Where count­less roll the wheels of time

Celestial light

al­migh­ty pow­er!

Burst forth in this af­flict­ive hour!

Effulgent

shine upon our race!

Thy an­cient mer­cies

Lord

re­trace!

From su­per­sti­tion’s dark do­main

From per­se­cu­tion’s cru­el reign

When erst a ten­der vine was brought

With joys ex­ub­er­ant­ly fraught;

In re­gions wrapped in des­ti­ny

It rose and bloomed

a love­ly tree!

Its shade the mount­ains ov­er­spread;

Its root

by bub­bling fount­ains fed

Nor drought

nor de­sert

could ar­rest;

Its branches filled the far­thest west:

Beside a thou­sand flow­ery banks

Its clus­ters swelled in glow­ing ranks.

Now torn and pros­trate its de­fense

Despoiled of its mag­ni­fi­cence

The sa­vage hunt­er treads it down;

It fades be­neath a ty­rant’s frown;

The sword de­stroys

the fire de­vours

The De­ity in dark­ness lours!

Ah! why de­sert­ed of our God?

His vine­yard

why a field of blood?

Return

O God of hosts

re­turn!

Thy ra­vaged

slaugh­tered church dis­cern!

Behold

and vic­to­ry im­part!

Thine

ev­er Thine

shall be our heart!