That Beautiful City

Opening

I know that afar in God’s bound­less realm

Perhaps ’mid the star­ry spaces

Lies the pro­mised home of the saints re­deemed

Replete with ce­les­ti­al graces;

In dreams I have walked on the streets of gold

As I sought for my own fair dwell­ing;

And voic­es I knew and loved of old

I’ve heard in the music swell­ing.

That beau­ti­ful city is home to me

Each day it is grow­ing dear­er;

And voic­es that call from be­yond the sea

Are draw­ing me near­er and near­er.

That beau­ti­ful city with jas­per walls

Ne’er clos­es its pear­ly por­tals

And the heal­ing pow­er of its ho­ly light

Sweeps ov­er the blest im­mor­tals;

There sor­row and tears shall be wiped away

In the dawn of an end­less morn­ing

Our tri­umphs of faith like stars shall shine—

Bright crowns for the soul’s ad­orn­ing.

The lon­gings of life shall be sa­tis­fied

The fet­ters of earth be brok­en

And the words im­pris­oned with­in the soul

With rap­ture shall then be spok­en;

The mu­sic that sor­row hath hushed awhile

And the si­lence of life’s sad sto­ry

Shall leap in­to songs of per­fect joy

Attuned to eter­nal glo­ry.