O Paradise above!
In glory all excelling;
There hath the God of love,
Fixed an eternal dwelling;
There loveliest beauty shines,
And pleasure endless thrills;
There love the soul entwines,
And peace the bosom fills.
The saints of God frequent its bowers,
And whispers fan its fragrant flowers.
Here would I humbly fall,
Before my God adoring,
That He may heed the call,
I bring to Him imploring;
And open wide the gate,
Closed by the hand of sin,
That, with the saints, thus late,
I yet may enter in;
And taste the tree of life that grows,
To heal the smart of mortal woes.
Hymns of the Holy Eastern Church, 1902