Once more! Our God, vouchsafe to Shine

Samuel Sewall

Once more! Our God, vouchsafe to Shine:

Tame Thou the Rigour of our Clime.

Make haste with thy Impartial Light,

And terminate this long dark Night.

Let the transplanted English Vine

Spread further still: still call in Thine:

Prune it with Skill: for yield it can

More Fruit to Thee the Husbandman.

Give the poor Indians Eyes to see

The Light of Life: and set them free;

That they Religion may profess,

Denying all Ungodliness.

From hard’ned Jews the Vail remove;

Let them their Martyr’d Jesus love;

And Homage unto Him afford,

Because He is their Rightfull Lord.

So false Religion shall decay,

And Darkness fly before bright Day:

So Men shall God in Christ adore;

And worship Idols vain, no more.

So Asia, and Africa,

Europa with America;

All Four, in Consort join’d, shall Sing

New Songs of Praise to Christ our King.

Fonte (versos 1-4, 9-10, 19-20): Gould, S. J. 1997. Dinossauro no palheiro. SP, Companhia das Letras. Poema datado de 1701.