Alfred H. Miles, ed. The Sacred Poets of the Nineteenth Century. 1907.
By Hymns and Meditations. III. Go not far from me, O my strengthAnna Lætitia Waring (18201910)
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Whom all my times obey;
Take from me anything Thou wilt,
But go not Thou away;
And let the storm that does Thy work
Deal with me as it may.
In weakness and distress:
I will not ask for greater ease,
Lest I should love Thee less.
Oh, ’tis a blessed thing for me
To need Thy tenderness.
For my deliverance care,
Thou, in Thy wiser, stronger love,
Art teaching me to bear—
By the sweet voice of thankful song,
And calm, confiding prayer.
No outward eye can trace,
And my heart sees Thee in the deep,
With darkness on its face,
And communes with Thee, ’mid the storm,
As in a secret place.
Whom the world does not see,
What hand should pluck me from the flood
That casts my soul on Thee?
Who would not suffer pain like mine,
To be consoled like me?
And flesh and heart give way,
Then on Thy everlasting strength
With passive trust I stay,
And the rough wind becomes a song,
The darkness shines like day.
Though silent anguish show
The love that in their hours of sleep
Unthanked may come and go;
And blessed are the ears that hear,
Though kept awake by woe.
Though patient suffering teach
The secret of enduring strength,
And praise too deep for speech—
Peace that no pressure from without,
No strife within, can reach.
For Christ, my Lord, hath died;
There is no curse in this my pain,
For He was crucified;
And it is fellowship with Him
That keeps me near His side.
My heart is strong to bear;
I will be joyful in Thy love,
And peaceful in Thy care.
Deal with me, for my Saviour’s sake,
According to His prayer.
How blest soe’er it be—
Yet may the chastened child be glad
His Father’s face to see;
And oh, it is not hard to bear
What must be born in Thee.
In Thy own bosom laid,
The trial of a soul redeemed,
For Thy rejoicing made.
Well may the heart in patience rest,
That none can make afraid.
Almighty to restore—
Borne onward—sin and death behind,
And love and life before—
Oh, let my soul abound in hope,
And praise Thee more and more!
With peaceful heart will say—
“Thy loving-kindness hath a charge
No waves can take away;
And let the storm that speeds me home,
Deal with me as it may.”