Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee.
Zechariah 9:9
Words: Michael Bruce, written circa 1764, for a singing class at Kinnesswood, Scotland. It was first published by John Logan in his Poems, 1781, page 113, number 7.
Music: Exeter (Plymouth) Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes, by Henry W. Beecher (New York: A. S. Barnes, 1855), page 69 (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a good picture of Bruce (head-and-shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels), would you ?
Messiah! at Thy glad approach
The howling winds are still!
Thy praises fill the lonely waste,
And breathe from every hill.
The hidden fountains, at Thy call,
Their sacred stores unlock;
Loud in the desert, sudden streams
Burst living from the rock.
The incense of the spring ascends
Upon the morning gale;
Red o’er the hill the roses bloom,
The lilies in the vale.
Renewed, the earth a robe of light,
A robe of beauty wears;
And in new heav’ns a brighter Sun
Leads on the promised years.
The kingdom of Messiah come,
Appointed times disclose;
And fairer in Emmanuel’s land
The new creation glows.
Let Israel to the Prince of Peace
The loud hosanna sing;
With hallelujahs, and with hymns,
O Zion, hail thy king.