Kippur

OH, thou Eternal and Omnipotent!

How shall thy erring children come to Thee

And ask for peace? Although the head be bent,

Even as a bulrush, ’tis but a mockery

If the dark, sin-struck heart still cling to earth;

Still make its idol of the world’s frail clay,

And the pure and glorious forget its birth

Before the glittering bubble of a day.

Or if a spark of hatred linger still

Against a brother, sinful though he be,

Oh! Thou in Heaven, how shall we come to Thee?

Vain are the words that spring with empty sound

While the insensate heart betrays no wound,

And we are slaves unto our stubborn will.

But if, oh, Thou eternal God of love,

If we perchance, find favor in Thy sight,

Guide us oh, Holy One! from this our night

And grant remission from thy courts above.

Low in the dust we mourn the fatal sin

That hath beguiled our souls from the true path.

Oh, deal not on our heads thy fearful wrath;

Forgive the past and grant us strength to win

The glorious prize of immortality,

The bliss to dwell forevermore with thee.

We are thy children—let our prayers arise

Like the sweet incense of a sacrifice,

And from this day henceforward let us be

Bound by love’s holiest ties, our God, to Thee.