The Word of God to Leyden Came
Dutch town by Zuyder-Zee;
Rise up, my children of no name,
My kings and priests to be.
There is an empire in the West,
Which I will soon unfold;
A thousand harvests in her breast,
Rocks ribbed with iron and gold.
Rise up, my children, time is ripe!
Old things are passed away.
Bishops and kings from earth I wipe:
Too long they’ve had their day.
A little ship have I prepared
To bear you o’er the seas;
And in your souls, my will declared,
Shall grow by slow degrees.
Beneath my throne the martyrs cry:
I hear their voice, How long?
It mingles with their praises high,
And with their victor song.
The thing they longed and waited for,
But died without the sight;
So, this shall be! I wrong abhor,
The world I ’ll now set right.
Leave, then, the hammer and the loom,
You’ve other work to do;
For Freedom’s commonwealth there ’s room,
And you shall build it too.
I ’m tired of bishops and their pride,
I ’m tired of kings as well;
Henceforth I take the people’s side,
And with the people dwell.
Tear off the mitre from the priest,
And from the king, his crown;
Let all my captives be released;
Lift up, whom men cast down.
Their pastors let the people choose,
And choose their rulers too;
Whom they select, I ’ll not refuse,
But bless the work they do.
The Pilgrims rose, at this God’s word,
And sailed the wintry seas:
With their own flesh nor blood conferred,
Nor thought of wealth or ease.
They left the towers of Leyden town,
They left the Zuyder-Zee;
And where they cast their anchor down,
Rose Freedom’s realm to be.