I thirst, but not as once I did

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I thirst, but not as once I did

Author: William Cowper
Tune: THIRSTING
Published in 64 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 I thirst, but not as once I did,
The vain delights of earth to share:
Thy wounds, Emmanuel, all forbid
That I should seek my pleasure there.

2 It was the sight of thy dear cross
First wean'd my soul from earthly things;
And taught me to esteem as dross
The mirth of fools and pomp of kings.

3 I want that grace that springs from thee,
That quickens all things where it flows,
And makes a wretched thorn, like me,
Bloom as the myrtle, or the rose.

4 Dear fountain of delight unknown!
No longer sink below the brim;
But overflow, and pour me down
A living, and life-giving stream!

5 For sure, of all the plants that share
The notice of thy Father's eye,
None proves less grateful to his care,
Or yields him meaner fruit than I.

Source: Hymns, Selected and Original: for public and private worship (1st ed.) #420

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Author: 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 >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	I thirst, but not as once I did
Author:	William Cowper
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Notes

I thirst, but not as once I did. W. Cowper. [Thirsting for God.] Given in the Olney Hymns, 1779, Bk. iii., No. 61, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "My soul thirsteth for God." It is found in several American collections, and in a few also in Great Britain.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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