1 By the hut of the peasant where poverty weeps,
And nigh to the tow’rs of the king,—
Close, close to the cradle where infancy sleeps,
And joy loves to linger and sing,
There’s a garden of light full of heaven’s perfume,
On its portals no shadows e’er rest,
And the roses and lilies are ever in bloom
‘Tis the beautiful land of the blest.
Refrain:
Beautiful land!
The land of the blest;
‘Tis the land of the beautiful;
Beautiful land of the blest!
2 Each hour and each moment a messenger comes,
And beckons us over the way;
Through heart-throbs and sighing, and beating of drums,
An army of mortals obey.
And the friends that in tears kissed the motionless brow,
Shall again meet the loved they have missed;
There, beyond the dark vale, they beckon us now
To the beautiful land of the blest. [Refrain]
3 Not a charm that we knew ere the bound’ry was crossed,
When we stood in the valley alone—
No trait that we miss in our darling is lost;
‘Tis fairer and lovelier grown.
As the lilies burst forth, when the shadows of night
Into bondage at daylight are pressed,
So they bask in the glow of the pillar of light,
In the beautiful land of the blest. [Refrain]
Source: Fair as the Morning. Hymns and Tunes for Praise in the Sunday-School #12
Kurzenknabe, John Henry. (Muenchhof, Kurhessen, Germany, June 18, 1840--April 13, 1927, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). German Reformed layman. His parents died of cholera when he was five, and he was placed in a boarding school. When 14, he came to the United States with his violin and his share ($500) of his parents' estate. During the 48-day voyage, he attended an elderly sick woman, a Mrs. Ziegler from Wilkes-Barre, Penn., whose family helped him settled in the States. He attended Wyoming Seminary nearby, where he studied music and perfected his English. Even before graduation, he taught violin and began teaching singing classes in the area. In 1856, William B. Bradbury came to Wilkes-Barre for a six-week musical institute. He was so impress… Go to person page >
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