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NOW THE YEAR IS CROWNED WITH BLESSING

Scripture Verse

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22

Introduction

portrait
Ellen T. F. Felkin
(1860–1929)

Words: Ell­en T. F. Fel­kin, Vers­es Grave and Gay (Lon­don: Cas­sell & Com­pa­ny, 1891), pag­es 35–37.

Music: Mor­gen­lied Fred­er­ick C. Mak­er, 1876 (🔊 ).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Mak­er (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you send us an e-mail?

Lyrics

Now the year is crowned with bless­ing
As we ga­ther in the grain;
And, our grate­ful thanks ex­press­ing,
Loud we raise a joy­ous strain.
Bygone days of toil and sad­ness
Cannot now our peace de­stroy,
For the hills are clothed with glad­ness
And the val­leys shout for joy.

Refrain

To the Lord their first-fruits bring­ing,
All His thank­ful people come,
To the Fa­ther prais­es sing­ing
For the joy of Har­vest-Home.

In the spring the smil­ing mea­dows
Donned their robes of liv­ing green,
As the sun­shine chased the shadows
Swiftly o’er the chang­ing scene;
In the sum­mer time the sto­ry
Of a rip­er hope was told;
Then the rich au­tum­nal glo­ry
Decked the fields in cloth of gold.

Refrain

Shall not we, whose hearts are swell­ing
With the thought of for­mer days,
Sing a joy­ous song fore­tell­ing
Future glad­ness, full­er praise?
For the cloud the bow re­tain­eth
With its co­ve­nant of peace,
That, as long as earth re­main­eth,
Harvest time shall nev­er cease.

Refrain

Though the fig tree may not flour­ish,
Though the vine no fruit may yield,
Though the earth no flocks may nour­ish
In the fold or in the field,
Still our hearts will trust His pow­er
Who the ra­vens stoops to feed,
And the hand that clothes each flow­er
Shall sup­ply our ut­most need.

Refrain