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Few are thy days, and full of woe
Meter: 8.6.8.6 Appears in 31 hymnals Matching Instances: 30 Lyrics: 1 Few are thy days, and full of woe,
O man, of woman born!
Thy doom is written, ‘Dust thou art,
and shalt to dust return.’
2 Behold the emblem of thy state
in flow’rs that bloom and die,
or in the shadow’s fleeting form,
that mocks the gazer’s eye.
3 Guilty and frail, how shalt thou stand
before thy sov’reign Lord?
Can troubled and polluted springs
a hallow'd stream afford?
4 Determin'd are the days that fly
successive o’er thy head;
the number'd hour is on the wing
that lays thee with the dead.
5 Great God! afflict not in thy wrath
the short allotted span
that bounds the few and weary days
of pilgrimage to man.
6 All nature dies, and lives again:
the flow’r that paints the field,
the trees that crown the mountain’s brow,
and boughs and blossoms yield,
7 Resign the honours of their form
at Winter’s stormy blast,
and leave the naked leafless plain
a desolated waste.
8 Yet soon reviving plants and flow’rs
anew shall deck the plain;
the woods shall hear the voice of Spring,
and flourish green again.
9 But man forsakes this earthly scene,
ah! never to return:
shall any foll’wing spring revive
the ashes of the urn?
10 The mighty flood that rolls along
its torrents to the main,
can ne’er recall its waters lost
from that abyss again.
11 So days, and years, and ages past,
descending down to night,
can henceforth never more return
back to the gates of light;
12 and man, when laid in lonesome grave,
shall sleep in Death’s dark gloom,
until th’ eternal morning wake
the slumbers of the tomb.
13 O may the grave become to me
the bed of peaceful rest,
Whence I shall gladly rise at length,
and mingle with the blest!
14 Cheer'd by this hope, with patient mind,
I’ll wait Heav’n’s high decree,
till the appointed period come,
when death shall set me free. Scripture: Job 14:1-15 Used With Tune: ST KILDA
Few are thy days, and full of woe
ST. NICHOLAS
Meter: 8.6.8.6 Appears in 17 hymnals Matching Instances: 1 Composer and/or Arranger: Maurice Greene, 1696-1755 Tune Key: G Major or modal Incipit: 13515 65432 12345 Used With Text: The Complaint Of Nature
ST. NICHOLAS
The Complaint Of Nature
Author: Michael Bruce, 1746-1767 Hymnal: The Cyber Hymnal #9227 Meter: 8.6.8.6 First Line: Few are thy days, and full of woe Lyrics: 1 Few are thy days, and full of woe,
O man of woman born!
Thy doom is written, "Dust thou art,
And shalt to dust return."
2 Determined are the days that fly
Successive o’er thy head;
The numbered hour is on the wing,
That lays thee with the dead.
3 Alas! the little day of life
Is shorter than a span;
Yet black with thousand hidden ills
To miserable man.
4 Gay is thy morning; flattering hope
Thy sprightly step attends;
But soon the tempest howls behind,
And then dark night descends.
5 Before its splendid hour, the cloud
Comes o’er the beam of light:
A pilgrim in a weary land,
Man tarries but a night.
6 Behold! sad emblem of thy state,
The flowers that paint the field;
Or trees, that crown the mountain’s brow,
And boughs and blossoms yield.
7 When chill the blast of winter blows,
Away the summer flies,
The flowers resign their sunny robes,
And all their beauty dies.
8 Nipped by the year, the forest fades;
And, shaking to the wind,
The leaves toss to and fro, and streak
The wilderness behind.
9 The winter past, reviving flowers
Anew shall paint the plain;
The woods shall hear the voice of spring,
And flourish green again:
10 But man departs this earthly scene,
Ah! never to return!
No second spring shall e’er revive
The ashes of the urn.
11 The inexorable doors of death,
What hand can e’er unfold?
Who from the cerements of the tomb
Can raise the human mould?
12 The mighty flood that rolls along
Its torrents to the main,
The waters lost can ne’er recall
From that abyss again.
13 The days, the years, the ages, dark
Descending down to night,
Can never, never be redeemed
Back to the gates of light.
14 So man departs the living scene,
To night’s perpetual gloom;
The voice of morning ne’er shall break
The slumbers of the tomb.
15 Where are our fathers? whither gone
The mighty men of old?
The patriarchs, prophets, princes, kings,
In sacred books enrolled?
16 Gone to the resting place of man,
The everlasting home,
Where ages past have gone before,
Where future ages come.
17 Thus Nature poured the wail of woe,
And urged her earnest cry;
Her voice in agony extreme
Ascended to the sky.
18 The Almighty heard; then from His throne
In majesty He rose;
And from the heav’n, that opened wide,
His voice in mercy flows.
19 "When mortal man resigns his breath,
And falls a clod of clay,
The soul immortal wings its flight
To never setting day.
20 "Prepared of old for wicked men
The bed of torment lies;
The just shall enter into bliss
Immortal in the skies." Languages: English Tune Title: ST. NICHOLAS
The Complaint Of Nature
Few are thy days, and full of woe
Author: Logan Hymnal: Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes; for the use of Christian Congregations #826 (1855)
Few are thy days, and full of woe
Few are thy days, and full of woe
Author: Logan Hymnal: The Baptist Hymn and Tune Book #826 (1858)
Few are thy days, and full of woe
Michael Bruce
1746 - 1767 Person Name: Michael Bruce, 1746-1767 Author (attributed to) of "The Complaint Of Nature" in The Cyber Hymnal Bruce, Michael, son of a Scottish weaver, was born at Kinnesswood, Portmoak, Kinrossshire, Scotland, March 27,1746, and educated at the village school, Edinburgh University (where he first became acquainted with John Logan), and the Theological Hall of the Associate Synod, held at Kinross, under the Rev. John Swanston, intending ultimately to enter the ministry, a hope which was frustrated by his untimely death. To assist in procuring University fees and maintenance he for some time conducted a school, during the recess, at Gairney Bridge, and subsequently at Forrest Mill, near Tillicoultry. Whilst yet a student he died at Kinnesswood, July 5th, 1767.
[Also, see Logan, John]
The names of Michael Bruce and John Logan are brought together because of the painful controversy which has long prevailed concerning the authorship of certain Hymns and Paraphrases of Holy Scripture which are in extensive use in the Christian Church both at home and abroad. During the latter years of Bruce's short life he wrote various Poems, and also Hymns for a singing class at Kinnesswood, which were well known to his family and neighbours, and were eventually copied out by Bruce himself in a quarto MS. book, with the hope that some day he might see them in print. Immediately upon his death, in 1767, Logan called upon his father and requested the loan of this book that he might publish the contents for the benefit of the family. This was granted. Not till three years afterwards did a certain work, containing seventeen poems, and entitled Poems on Several Occasions , by Michael Bruce, 1770, appear, with a Preface in which it was stated that some of the Poems were by others than Bruce.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Michael Bruce
John Logan
1748 - 1788 Person Name: Logan Author of "Few are thy days, and full of woe" in Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes; for the use of Christian Congregations Logan, John, son of a farmer, born at Fala, Midlothian, 1748, and educated at Edinburgh University, in due course entering the ministry of the Church of Scotland and becoming the minister of South Leith in 1770. During the time he held this charge he delivered a course of lectures on philosophy and history with much success. While he was thus engaged, the chair of Universal History in the University became vacant; but as a candidate he was unsuccessful. A tragedy, entitled Runnamede, followed. He offered it to the manager of Covent Garden Theatre, but it was interdicted by the Lord Chamberlain "upon suspicion of having a seditious tendency." It was subsequently acted in Edinburgh. In 1775 he formed one of the Committee by whom the Translations and Paraphrases of the Church of Scotland was prepared. In 1782 he was compelled to resign his charge at Leith in order to prevent deposition, and finally, having passed on to London, he supported himself partly by his pen, and died there, Dec. 28, 1788.
[Also, see Bruce, Michael]
The names of Michael Bruce and John Logan are brought together because of the painful controversy which has long prevailed concerning the authorship of certain Hymns and Paraphrases of Holy Scripture which are in extensive use in the Christian Church both at home and abroad. During the latter years of Bruce's short life he wrote various Poems, and also Hymns for a singing class at Kinnesswood, which were well known to his family and neighbours, and were eventually copied out by Bruce himself in a quarto MS. book, with the hope that some day he might see them in print. Immediately upon his death, in 1767, Logan called upon his father and requested the loan of this book that he might publish the contents for the benefit of the family. This was granted. Not till three years afterwards did a certain work, containing seventeen poems, and entitled Poems on Several Occasions, by Michael Bruce, 1770, appear, with a Preface in which it was stated that some of the Poems were by others than Bruce. Bruce's father immediately pointed out the absence from the volume of certain hymns which he called his son's "Gospel Sonnets," and members of the singing class at Kinnesswood also noted the absence of hymns with which they were familiar. Letters of remonstrance and demands for the return of the quarto manuscript book of Bruce by the father remaining unanswered, led him eventually to see Logan in person. No book was forthcoming, a few scraps of manuscript only were returned, and Logan accounted for the absence of the book by saying he feared "that the servants had singed fowls with it." For a time the matter rested here, only to be revived with renewed interest by the publication, in 1781 (14 years after the death of Bruce, and 11 after the Poems, &c, were issued), of Poems. By the Rev. Mr. Logan, One of the Ministers of Leith. In this volume, an "Ode to the Cuckoo," a poem of exquisite beauty, and other poetical pieces which appeared in the Poems on Several Occasions, by Michael Bruce, were repeated, and claimed as his own by Logan. In addition, certain Hymns and Paraphrases were included, most of which were of sterling merit, and poetical excellence. It has been shown, we think, most conclusively by Dr. Mackelvie in his Life of Bruce prefixed to the Poems, 1837 and by Dr. Grosart in his Works of M. Bruce, 1865, that the "Ode to the Cuckoo," "Lochleven," and other poetical pieces were taken from MS. book of M. Bruce. The Hymns and Paraphrases, most of which were included in the Translations and Paraphrases during the same year, were also claimed for Bruce.
Until clearer evidence is brought forward on behalf of Bruce, the hymns, or paraphrases, following must be ascribed to John Logan: —
"Who can resist th'Almighty arm"; "In streets and op'nings of the gates”; "Thus speaks the heathen: How shall man"; "Take comfort, Christians, when your friends"; "The hour of my departure's come."
The following, which are found only in the Translations and Paraphrases of 1781, are claimed by W. Cameron for Logan, and have never been seriously disputed by the friends of Bruce, the second being original, the first a revise from the Translations and Paraphrases of 1745; and the third a revise of Doddridge and Dr. Hugh Blair:—
"Let Christian faith and hope dispel"; “Thus speaks the high and lofty One"; "What though no flowers the fig-tree clothe."
In addition, we see no cause to deny to Logan the few changes, and new stanza, which are found in Doddridge's "0 God of Bethel, by Whose hand."
Of the above hymns 5 are recasts of hymns in the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases of 1745. Those are: "Behold the mountain of the Lord " (see "In latter days the mount of God "); "When Jesus by the Virgin brought" (see "Now let Thy servant die in peace"); "Behold the Ambassador divine" (see "Behold my Servant, see Him rise"); "Let Christian faith and hope dispel" (see “Now let our souls ascend above"); and "What though no flowers the fig-tree clothe" (see "So firm the saints' foundation stands").
…It is curious to note that every hymn which we have ascribed to M. Bruce has come into more or less extensive use outside of the Translations and Paraphrases, and that not one which we have ascribed to Logan, except "Let Christian faith and hope dispel," and “Take comfort, Christians," &c, is found beyond that work, unless we give to Logan the plaintive "The hour of my departure's come" (which Dr. Grosart claims for Bruce), and the recast "O God of Bethel, by Whose hand," whose success is due to Doddridge. This is the verdict of 100 years' use of those hymns, and shows conclusively the poetic strength of Bruce and the weakness of Logan.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Logan_%28minister%29
John Logan
Maurice Greene
1696 - 1755 Person Name: Maurice Greene, 1696-1755 Composer of "ST. NICHOLAS" in The Cyber Hymnal Born: August 12, 1696, London, England.
Died: December 1, 1755, England.
Buried: Originally at St. Olave’s, Old Jewry. On the demolition of St. Olave’s, his remains were moved to St. Paul’s and placed in Boyce’s grave, May 18, 1888.
Maurice Greene (12 August 1696 – 1 December 1755) was an English composer and organist.
Born in London, the son of a clergyman, Greene became a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral under Jeremiah Clarke and Charles King. He studied the organ under Richard Brind, and after Brind died, Greene became organist at St Paul's.
With the death of William Croft in 1727, Greene became organist at the Chapel Royal, and in 1730 he became Professor of Music at Cambridge University. In 1735 he was appointed Master of the King's Musick. At his death, Greene was working on the compilation Cathedral Music, which his student and successor as Master of the King's Musick, William Boyce, was to complete. Many items from that collection are still used in Anglican services today.
He wrote very competent music in the Georgian style, particularly long Verse Anthems. His acknowledged masterpiece, Lord, let me know mine end, is a representative example. Greene sets a text full of pathos using a polyphonic texture over a continuous instrumental walking bass, with a particularly effective treble duet in the middle of the work. Both this section and the end of the anthem contain superb examples of the Neapolitan sixth chord.
--en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Maurice Greene
