'Tis night, a dull, dark, cheerless night,
Nor moon, nor stars are visible to sight,
The gloomy shadows of the inky clouds
Enwrap our city in their inky shrouds.
But tho' thick darkness veils the starry sky,
Yet there is nothing hidden from the eye
Of the omnicient God whose eyes survey
The darkest haunts as in the light of day.
He sees and knows all that is done below,
And hears our wailings of distress and woe.
He fills with joy the hearts of those who mourn,
And aids the poor, the wretched and forlorn.
To some he gives the calm and quiet sleep,
And some have gone to rest, and some to keep
A weary, lonely watch in some sick room,
That soon will give a tenant to the tomb;
To tend that weary one whose ebbing life
Is struggling through the closing, mortal strife,
A dying child, a father or a mother,
A husband, wife, a sister or a brother.
'Tis sad to see our loved ones pass away,
And yet 'twould be unkind to bid them stay,
And suffer more of anguish, grief and pain,
And then to come to this same stage again.
Within the lamplit streets the busy throng,
As inclination leads them move along,
How restlessly the crowds pass to and fro--
Some speed their course, some know not where to go.
Some keep in virtue's path, some lead astray,
Some unprotected female, or the youth
Who yields to vice and cheaply sells the truth.
O! God, my Father, teach me what is right,
And shield me from the terrors of the night,
And let thy guardian eye protect and keep
Me from all evil while I rest in sleep.
