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Advent Hymnals

Hymns and Tunes 1876 12

How pleasant, how divinely fair

Studio

1How pleasant, how divinely fair, O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are! With long desire my spirit faints To meet th' assemblies of thy saints.

2My flesh would rest in thine abode, My panting heart cries out for God; My God, my King, why should I be So far from all my joys and thee?

3Blest are the souls that find a place Within the temple of thy grace; There they behold thy gentler rays, And seek thy face, and learn thy praise.

4Blest are the men whose hearts are set To find the way to Zion's gate; God is their strength; and through the road They lean upon their helper, God.

Also sung to
Burford (Hymns and Tunes 1886 #3)

Public Domain

The verse

Meter
33
Foot
iambic (da-DUM) · 63% of beats fit
Rhyme
A
Scan every line

/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary

Verse 1

How pleasant, how divinely fair, O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are! With long desire my spirit faints To meet th' assemblies of thy saints.//˘/˘/˘/˘/˘///˘˘˘/˘/˘˘/˘/˘/˘/˘˘//33A

Verse 2

My flesh would rest in thine abode, My panting heart cries out for God; My God, my King, why should I be So far from all my joys and thee?˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘///˘/˘/˘//˘˘˘˘/˘/˘/˘/32A

Verse 3

Blest are the souls that find a place Within the temple of thy grace; There they behold thy gentler rays, And seek thy face, and learn thy praise./˘˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘˘///˘˘///˘/˘///˘///32A

Verse 4

Blest are the men whose hearts are set To find the way to Zion's gate; God is their strength; and through the road They lean upon their helper, God./˘˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘//˘˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/32A

Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.