DAVID AND GOLIATH: A Sacred Drama. O bienheureux mille fois, Qui de bonne heure entend sa voix, Et que ce Dieu daigne instruire lui-même! Loin du mond élevé ; de tous les dons des Cieux, Il est orné dès sa naissance; Et du méchant l'abord contagieux ATHALIE. The Scene lies in the Camp in the Valley of Elah, and the adjacent Plain. The Subject is taken from the Seventeenth Chapter of the DAVID AND GOLIATH. PART I. SCENE-A Shepherd's Tent on a Plain. DAVID, under a spreading tree, plays on his harp and sings. I. GREAT Lord of all things! Pow'r divine! Breathe on this erring heart of mine Defend my frail, my erring youth, II. Teach me to bless my lowly lot Confin'd to this paternal cot, Remote from regal state! Content to court the cooling glade, III. No anxious vigils here I keep, No dreams of gold distract my sleep, Nor lead my heart astray; Nor blasting Envy's tainted gale To vex my harmless day. IV. Yon tow'r, which rears its head so high, Invites the bostile winds: Yon branching oak, extending wide, And courts the fall it finds. V. Then let me shun th' ambitious deed, Lord in thy sure protection blest, Submissive will I ever rest, And may thy will be done! [He lays down his harp and rises. Dav. Methinks this shepherd's life were dull and tasteless Without the charm of soothing song or harp: Of wood, or lonely grove, or russet plain, |