by Francis Quarles (1592 - 1644)
The earth trembled
Language: English
The earth trembled; and heav'n's clos'd eye Was loth to see the Lord of glory die: The sky was clad in mourning, and the spheres Forgot their harmony; the clouds dropp'd tears. Th'ambitious dead arose to give him room; And ev'ry grave did gape to be his tomb; Th'affrighted heav'ns sent down elegious thunder; The world's foundations loos'd, to lose its founder; Th'impatient temple rent her veil in two, To teach our hearts what our sad hearts should do: Can senseless things do this, and shall not I Melt one poor drop to see my Saviour die? Drill forth, my tears; and trickle one by one, Till you have pierc'd this heart of mind, this stone.
Authorship:
- by Francis Quarles (1592 - 1644) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "The earth trembled", subtitle: "On our Saviour's passion", Z. 197 (1680?-3). [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Athony Burton
This text was added to the website: 2011-03-30
Line count: 14
Word count: 116