The fountain in its source

Representative Text

The fountain in its source,
No drought of summer fears;
The farther it pursues its course,
The nobler it appears.

But shallow cisterns yield
A scanty short suply;
The morning sees them amply filled,
At evening they are dry.

Translations from the French of Madame de la Mothe Guion

Translator: William Cowper

William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"; b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1731; d. East Dereham, Norfolk, England, 1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets. To biographers he is also known as "mad Cowper." His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. His subsequent hospitalization and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional st… Go to person page >

Author: Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon

Guyon, Madame. (1648-1717.) Jeanne Marie Bouyieres de la Mothe was the leader of the Quietist movement in France. The foundation of her Quietism was laid in her study of St. Francis de Sales, Madame de Chantal, and Thomas รค Kempis, in the conventual establishments of her native place, Montargis (Dep. Loiret), where she was educated as a child. There also she first learned the sentiment of espousal with Christ, to which later years gave a very marked development. She was married at sixteen to M. Guyon, a wealthy man of weak health, twenty-two years her senior, and her life, until his death, in 1676, was, partly from disparity of years, partly from the tyranny of her mother-in-law, partly from her own quick temper, an unhappy one. Her public… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: The fountain in its source
Translator: William Cowper
Author: Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 29 of 29)
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A Book of Hymns and Tunes #9

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #240

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #240

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A Collection of Hymns, for the Christian Church and Home #124

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship #411

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (10th ed.) #411

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (6th ed.) #411

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. (3rd ed.) #411

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. (45th ed.) #411

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. 16th ed. #411

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Sanctuary #493

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Church Harmonies #595

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Good-Will Songs #235

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d669

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Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #69

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Hymn and Tune Book, for the Church and the Home #124

Hymns and Tunes for the Sunday School, the Congregation and the Home #d158

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Hymns for Christian Devotion #508

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Hymns for Christian Devotion #508

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Hymns for Public Worship #116

Hymns for Schools and Families #d139

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Hymns for Schools and Families #84

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Hymns for the Church of Christ (3rd thousand) #585

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Hymns for the Church of Christ. (6th thousand) #585

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Hymns of the Church Universal #564

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Hymns of the Spirit #419

Prayers and Hymns for the Church and the Home #d635

Text

Translations from the French of Madame de la Mothe Guion #10

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