quote · Legacy record
I saw one man, armed simply with God’s Word, Enter the souls of many fellow-men, And pierce them sharply as a two-edged sword, While conscience echoed back his words again; Till, even as showers of fertilizing rain Sink through the bosom of the valley clod, So their hearts opened to the wholesome pain, And hundreds knelt upon the flowery sod, One good man’s earnest prayer, the link ’twixt them and God.
I saw one man, armed simply with God’s Word, Enter the souls of many fellow-men, And pierce them sharply as a two-edged sword, While conscience echoed back his words again; Till, even as showers of fertilizing rain Sink through the bosom of the valley clod, So their hearts opened to the wholesome pain, And hundreds knelt upon the flowery sod, One good man’s earnest prayer, the link ’twixt them and God.
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
- Mrs. Norton (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 683 · printed citation: Mrs. Norton · subject: WORD
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.