A Visit to the Temple Site
By Gladys Quayle, British Mission
Today I walked on Holy ground
Far from the restless throng,
Where nature in her glory raised
A glad, triumphal song,
A paean of joy and thankfulness
Which made my heart rejoice
And every bird took up the strain
“We heard a Prophet’s voice.”
Today I walked on Holy ground
Where stood our Prophet dear,
My spirit soared to heights unseen,
I felt God’s presence near;
Within this sacred Holy place
Methought I heard Him say
“My blessings on my people here –
Prepare – do not delay.”
Today I walked on Holy ground
Where soon God’s House will stand,
The symbol of our dearest hopes
In this our own dear land,
And humbly as I bowed my head
In reverence and praise –
I solemnly did promise God
To serve Him all my days.
(1954)
Coincidentally, this text fits nicely with the hymn, “Come, Listen to a Prophet’s Voice.” (Hymns, 21).
And perhaps not so coincidentally, that last line is a lovely echo of the R F Delderfield novel of that same name–one minor difficulty, though, is that it was published 18 years later.
Ah, well, it was nice while it lasted. And Delderfield’s novels (the one Ms. Quayle foreshadowed, and the three Swann novels) are a great way to spend a cold winter’s evening.
Singing it (silently, in my mind — wouldn’t want to scare innocent parties) to that melody adds to the interest — thanks, David.
Loved “To Serve Them All My Days”!
The book? Or the PBS series? The Swann saga is also terrific.
I’ve seen the series, which is why I bought and read the book.
Lovely. Very fitting. And it works well to the tune of “Let Zion In Her Beauty Rise,” too.
Great poem, very topic-specific. Do you mind if I share it on the Philadelphia Temple Facebook group with attribution?
The author seems to be Gladys Quayle (1910-1993) from Sunderland, Durham, the daughter of John and Mary Parker Quayle.
The temple was dedicated on September 7th-9th, 1958. Gladys went through the temple on September 10, probably the first day the temple was open for business; was sealed to her parents in 1959; and was married and sealed to her husband Frederick Oates in 1960.