Mother dear Jerusalem, when shall I come to thee, When shall my sorrows have an end? thy joys when shall I see? happy harbour of God s saints! O sweet and pleasant soil; to thee no sorrow may be found, no grief, no care, no toil. In thee no sickness is at all, no grief, no toil, no care, There is no death nor ugly sight, but life for evermore. No dimming clouds o'ershadow thee, no dim nor darksome night, For every soul shines as the sun, for God himself gives light. There lust nor lucre cannot dwell, there envy bears no sway, There is no hunger, thirst nor heat, but pleasure every way. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, would God I were in thee, O that my sorrows had an end, thy joys that I might see; No pains no pangs no bitter griefs, no woful night is there, No sigh, no sob, no cry is heard, no willaway nor fear. Jerusalem the city is, of God our King alone, The Lamb of God the light thereof, sits there upon the throne. Ah God! that I Jerusalem with speed may go behold, For why? the pleasures there abound, with tongue cannot be told. Thy turrets and thy pinnacles, with carbuncles doth shine, With jasper, pearls, and crysolyte, surpassing pure and fine. Thy houses are of ivory, thy windows chrystal clear, Thy streets are laid with beaten gold, where angels do appear, Thy walls are made of precious stones, thy bulwarks diamonds square, Thy gates are made of orient pearl, O God! if I were there. Within thy gates nothing can come, that is not passing clear, No spider's web, no dirt, no dust, no filth may there appear. Jehovah, Lord, now come I pray, and end my grief and plaints, Take me to thy Jerusalem, and place me among the saints: Who there are crown'd with glory great, and see God face to face, They triumph all, and do rejoice; most happy is their case. But we who are in banishment, continually do moan, We sigh, we mourn, we sob, we weep, perpetually we groan. Our sweetness mixed is with gall, our pleasures are but pain; Our joys are not worth looking on, our sorrows still remain. But there they live in such delight, such pleasure and such play, That unto them a thousand years seem but as yesterday. O my sweet home Jerusalem, thy joys when shall I see? Thy king sitting upon his throne, and thy felicity. Thy vineyards and thy orchards, so wonderfully rare, Are furnish'd with all kinds of fruits most beautiful and fair. Thy gardens and thy goodly walks, continually are green, There grow such sweet and pleasant flower as no where else are seen. There cinnamon and sugar grows, there nard and balm abound, No tongue can tell, no heart can think what pleasures there are found. There nectar and ambrosia spring, the musk and civit sweet, There many a fine and dainty drug, is trodden under feet. Quite thro' the street with pleasant sound the blood of life doth flow, Upon the bank on ev'ry side, the Tree of Life doth grow, These trees each month do yield their fruit, for evermore they spring; And all the nations in the world, to thee their honors bring. Jerusalem, God's dwelling place, full sore I long to see, O that my sorrows had an end, that I might dwell with thee! There David stands with harp in hand, into the heavenly choir, A thousand times that man was blest, who might this music hear. There Mary sings Magnificat, with tunes surpassing sweet, And all the virgins bear their part, sitting around her feet. Te Deum doth St Ambrose sing, St Austin doth the like, Old Simeon and Zachary, have not their songs to seek. There Magdalen hath left her moan, and chearfully doth sing, With all blest saints, whose harmony, through every street doth ring. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thy joys fain would I see, Come quickly, Lord, and end my grief and take me home to thee. O plant thy name in my forehead, and take me hence away, That I may dwell with thee in bliss, and sing thy praises ay. Jerusalem, the happy throne, Jehovah's throne on high; O sacred city, queen and wife, of Christ eternally, O comely queen, with glory clad, with honor and degree, All fair thou art, excelling bright, no spot is found in thee. I long to see Jerusalem, the comfort of us all, For thou art sweet and beautiful, no ill can thee befol In thee Jerusalem I say, no darkness dare appear, No night, no shade, no winter foul no time doth alter there. No candles need no moon to shine, no glittering stars to light, For Christ the sun of righteousness, for ever shineth bright. A Lamb unspotted, white and pure, to thee doth stand in lieu Of light so great; the glory is thy heavenly king to view. He is the king of kings, beset in midst his servants right, And they his happy household all, do serve him day and night, There, there the quire of angels bright, there the supernal sort Of citizens, who hence are freed, from danger's deep resort. There be the prudent prophets all, th' apostles six and six, The glorious martyrs in a row, and confessors betwixt. There here doth the crew of righteous men, and matrons all consist, Young men and maids who here on earth their pleasures did resist. Nae sheep and lambs that hardly 'scapt the snares of death and hell, Triumph in joy eternally, whereof no tongue can tell, And though the glory of each one, doth differ in degree, That the joy of all alike, and common as we see. There love and charity do reign, and Christ is All in All, Whom they most perfectly behold, in glory spiritual. They love, they praise, they praise, and love, they holy, holy, cry; They neither toil, nor faint, nor end, but laud continually. O happy thousaud times were I, if, after wretched days, I might with listening ears conceive, these heavenly songs of praise, Which to th' eternal King are sung by heavenly wights above, By sacred souls and angels sweet, to praise the God of love. Oh passing happy were my state, might I be worthy found; To wait upon my God and King, his praises there to sound. And to enjoy my Christ above, his favour and his grace, According to his promise made, which here I interlace. “O Father dear," said he, "let them whom thou hast given of old To me, be there where so I am, my glory to behold. Which I with thee, before the world was laid, in perfet ways Have had, from whence the blessed Sun, of glory doth arise. Again, if any man will serve, then let him follow me, That where I am, be thou right sure there shall my servant be. And still if any man loves me, him loves my father dear, Whom I do love, to him myself in glory shall appear." Lord take away my misiries, that then I may be bold, With thee in thy Jerusalem, thy glory to behold. And so in Zion see my King, my love, my lord, my all; Whom now as in a glass I see, then face to face I shall. O blessed be the pure in heart, their Sovereign they shall see, O ye most happy heavenly wights, which of God's household be. O Lord with speed dissolve my bonds, those gins and fetters strong; For I have dwelt within the tents of Kedar over long. Yet once again I pray thee Lord, to quit me from all strife, That to thy hill I may obtain, and dwell there all my life. With cherubim and seraphim, and holy souls of men, To sing thy praise, O Lord of hosts, for evermore. Amen.
