I thought they were long in passing,
Fancied the clocks ran slow,
But now I would give my heart-strings
For the Sabbaths of long ago.
They have gone to a wide hereafter
They are part of an unpaid debt,
But for me their quiet safeguarding
Is linked to a great regret.
For my eyes were blind to their beauty,
To the grace and charm they wore;
To the hush on the fields of morning,
To the light through the open door.
To the peace that was mine without asking,
To the joy to walk hand in hand
With the saints who set apart Sabbath
As a step to the Promised Land.