Stones made children of Abraham.
Matt. 3:9.
Vain are the hopes that rebels place
Upon their birth and blood,
Descended from a pious race;
Their fathers now with God.
He from the caves of earth and hell
Can take the hardest stones,
And fill the house of Abram well
With new-created sons.
Such wondrous power doth he possess
Who formed our mortal frame,
Who called the world from emptiness,
The world obeyed and came.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
While I was reading this poem, I found myself naturally singing it like a hymn. Then I remembered that it was indeed written to be a hymn. That is talent! I like the simplicity of his phrases and the way the verses flow. Usually I find poets from the 1600's to be uncomfortably stiff with their message and their phrasing. Watts is very easy to read in this poem and I hope to find him easy in other pieces. Such wondrous power doth he possess Who formed our mortal frame, Who called the world from emptiness, The world obeyed and came. That goes down as smooth as silk.