They came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees.
Exodus 15:27
Words: Jane F. Crewdson, A Little While, and Other Poems (Manchester, England: 1864).
Music: Crewdson Ira D. Sankey (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a good picture of Crewdson (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
I’ve found a joy in sorrow, a secret balm for pain,
A beautiful tomorrow of sunshine after rain;
I’ve found a branch of healing near every bitter spring;
A whispered promise stealing o’er every broken string,
A whispered promise stealing o’er every broken string.
I’ve found a glad hosanna for every woe and wail;
A handful of sweet manna when grapes of Eschol fail;
I’ve found a Rock of Ages when desert wells are dry;
And, after weary stages, I’ve found an Elim nigh,
And, after weary stages, I’ve found an Elim nigh.
An Elim with its coolness, its fountains, and its shade;
A blessing in its fullness, when buds of promise fade;
O’er tears of soft contrition I’ve seen a rainbow light,
A glory and fruition, so near! yet out of sight,
A glory and fruition, so near! yet out of sight.
My Savior, Thee possessing, I have the joy, the balm,
The healing and the blessing, the sunshine and the psalm;
The promise for the fearful, the Elim for the faint,
The rainbow for the tearful, the glory for the saint!
The rainbow for the tearful, the glory for the saint!