Holy Matrimony

John Keble 1792 (Fairford) – 1866 (Bournemouth)



The voice that breathed o'er Eden,
That earliest wedding day
The primal marriage blessing,
It hath not passed away.
Still in the pure espousal
Of Christian man and maid,
The holy Three are with us,
The threefold grace is said.

Be present, aweful Father,
To give away this bride,
As Eve thou gav'st to Adam
Out of his own pierced side:

Be present, Son of Mary,
To join their loving hands,
As thou didst bind two natures
In thine eternal bands!

Be present, holiest Spirit,
To bless them as they kneel,
As thou, for Christ the Bridegroom,
The heavenly Spouse dost seal!

O spread thy pure wing o'er them,
Let no ill power find place,
When onward to thine altar
Their hallowed path they trace,

To cast their crowns before thee
In perfect sacrifice,
Till to the home of gladness
With Christ's own Bride they rise. Amen

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
76

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXABXCX DEXE FGXG XBXB XHDH FXCX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 820
Words 149
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

John Keble

John Keble was an English churchman and poet, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford was named after him. more…

All John Keble poems | John Keble Books

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