quote · Legacy record
Give me the voice of mirth, the sound of laughter, The sparkling glance of pleasure’s roving eye, The past is past,—Avaunt thou dark hereafter! “Come, eat and drink—to-morrow we must die!” So, in his desperate mood, the fool hath spoken— The fool whose heart hath said, “There is no God.” But for the stricken heart, the spirit broken, There’s balm in Gilead yet.—The very rod, If we but kiss it, as the stroke descendeth, Distilleth balm to allay the inflicted smart, And “Peace that passeth understanding,” blendeth With the deep sighing of the contrite heart.
Give me the voice of mirth, the sound of laughter, The sparkling glance of pleasure’s roving eye, The past is past,—Avaunt thou dark hereafter! “Come, eat and drink—to-morrow we must die!” So, in his desperate mood, the fool hath spoken— The fool whose heart hath said, “There is no God.” But for the stricken heart, the spirit broken, There’s balm in Gilead yet.—The very rod, If we but kiss it, as the stroke descendeth, Distilleth balm to allay the inflicted smart, And “Peace that passeth understanding,” blendeth With the deep sighing of the contrite heart.
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Caroline Bowles (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 508 · printed citation: Caroline Bowles · subject: ROD
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.