Teach the king's son, who king himself shall be,
Thy judgments, Lord; thy justice make him learn:
To rule thy realms as justice shall decree,
And poor men's rights in judgment to discern.
Then fearless peace
With rich increase
The mountains proud shall fill;
And justice shall
Make plenty fall
On ev'ry humble hill.
Make him the weak support, th' oppressed relieve,
Supply the poor, the quarrel-pickers quail:
So endless ages shall Thee reverence give,
Till eyes of heav'n, the sun and moon, shall fail.
And Thou again,
Shall blessings rain,
Which down shall mildly flow,
As showers thrown
On meads new-mown,
Whereby they freshly grow.
During his rule the just shall aye be green,
And peaceful plenty join with plenteous peace;
While of sad night the many-formèd queen
Decreased shall grow, and grown, again decrease.
From sea to sea
He shall survey
All kingdoms as his own;
And from the trace
Of Perah's race,
As far as land is known.
The desert-dwellers at his beck shall bend,
His foes then suppliant at his feet shall fling,
The kings of Tharsis homage-gifts shall send;
So Seba, Saba, ev'ry island king.
Nay all, ev'n all,
Shall prostrate fall,
That crowns and sceptres wear:
And all that stand
At their command,
That crowns and sceptres bear.
For he shall hear the poor when they complain,
And lend them help, who helpless are oppress'd:
His mercy shall the needy sort sustain;
His force shall free their lives that live distress'd.
From hidden sleight,
From open might,
He shall their souls redeem:
His tender eyes
Shall highly prize,
And dear their blood esteem.
So shall he long, so shall he happy live;
Health shall abound, and wealth shall never want:
They gold to him, Arabia gold, shall give,
Which scantness dear, and dearness maketh scant.
They still shall pray
That still he may
So live, and flourish so:
Without his praise,
No nights, no days,
Shall passport have to go.
Look how the woods, whose interlacèd trees,
Spread friendly arms each other to embrace,
Join at the head, though distant at the knees,
Waving with wind, and lording on the place;
So woods of corn
By mountains borne
Shall on their shoulders wave:
And men shall pass
The numerous grass,
Such store each town shall have.
Look how the sun, so shall his name remain;
As that in light, so this in glory one:
All glories this, as that all lights shall stain:
Nor that shall fail, nor this be overthrown.
The dwellers all
Of earthly ball
In him shall hold them blest:
As one that is
Of perfect bliss,
A pattern to the rest.
O God who art--from whom all beings be;
Eternal Lord, whom Jacob's stock adore,
And wondrous works are done by only Thee,
Blessed be Thou, most blessed evermore.
And let Thy name,
Thy glorious fame,
No end of blessing know:
Let all this round
Thy honour sound,
So Lord, O be it so!