1  Thou Breath from still eternity
       Breathe o'er my spirit's barren land —
    The pine tree and the myrtle tree
       Shall spring amid the desert sand;
    And where Thy living water flows
       The waste shall blossom as the rose.
 
 
 2  May I in will and deed and word
       Obey Thee as a little child;
    And keep me in Thy love, my Lord,
       For ever holy, undefiled;
    Within me teach, and strive, and pray,
       Lest I should choose my own wild way.
 
 
 3  Thy Spirit, Stream by Thee, the Son,
       Is opened to us crystal pure,
    Forth flowing from the heavenly throne
       To waiting hearts and spirits poor;
    Athirst and weary do I sink
       Beside Thy waters, there to drink.
 
 
 4  My spirit turns to Thee and clings,
       All else forsaking, unto Thee;
    Forgetting all created things,
       Remembering only "God in me."
    Thy living Stream, Thy gracious Rain,
       None wait for these, and wait in vain.