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WRITTEN ON NEW YEAR'S DAY.

1 Doth not, my soul, each circling year
2 Remind me that I must appear
3 Before my heav'nly King,
4 In whose blest fight man's longest age
5 Is but a momentary stage,
6 That flits on swiftest wing?
7 Then say, thou pure, thou heav'n-born fire,
8 Why dost thou not with fond desire
9 Subdue this inward fear?
10 So might I with aspiring mind
11 Press on, nor cast a look behind,
12 Nor sigh to linger here.
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13 My will most freely I resign
14 To thee, my judge, oh! make it thine
15 In word, in deed, in thought:
16 So shall I find contentment here,
17 Nor shrink from death, tho' death draw near
18 With all his terrors fraught.
19 No sting in death but sin is found,
20 And since our God hath heal'd that wound,
21 What have we here to dread?
22 'Tis our's to praise Him and obey,
23 Look up to Him from day to-day,
24 To give us heav'nly bread.
25 Teach me to wait with humble trust,
26 To hope the best, nor fear the worst
27 In this life's varying round;
28 And when I meet misfortune's blow,
29 Teach me submission, that may show
30 On what my joys I found.
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31 Oh then vouchsafe thy heavenly aid
32 To lead me thro' the gloomy shade
33 Of worldly grief and care;
34 Supported by thy fost'ring hand,
35 Let me temptation's lure withstand,
36 And chace away despair.
37 Thus shall you pass serenely o'er,
38 Ye circling years, whilst I implore
39 The God, who gives me breath,
40 To lead me on from day to day
41 Secure in virtue's holy way,
42 Resign'd to life or death.

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Title (in Source Edition): WRITTEN ON NEW YEAR'S DAY.
Author: Mary Alcock (née Cumberland)
Themes:
Genres: occasional poem

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Source edition

Alcock [née Cumberland], Mary, 1741?–1798. Poems, &c. &c. by the Late Mrs. Mary Alcock [poems only]. London: Printed for C. Dilly, Poultry, 1799, pp. 5-7. vii,[25],183,[1]p. (ESTC T86344) (Page images digitized by University of Michigan Library.)

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Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

Other works by Mary Alcock (née Cumberland)