Quote#God & Faith
When time itself shall be no more
Quote byJoseph Addison · 1672–1719
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Song for St. Cecilia's Day (1692).
English (original)
When time itself shall be no more, And all things in confusion hurl'd, Music shall then exert it's power, And sound survive the ruins of the world: Then saints and angels shall agree In one eternal jubilee: All Heaven shall echo with their hymns divine, And God himself with pleasure see The whole creation in a chorus join.
— Joseph Addison
More from Joseph Addison
Let echo, too, perform her part, Prolonging every note with art; And in a low expiring strain, Play all the concert o'er again.
On you, my lord, with anxious fear I wait, And from your judgment must expect my fate.
Consecrate the place and day To music and Cecilia. Let no rough winds approach, nor dare Invade the hallow'd bounds, Nor rudely shake the tuneful air, Nor spoil the fleeting sounds.
Music religious heat inspires, It wakes the soul, and lifts it high, And wings it with sublime desires, And fits it to bespeak the Deity.
Music, the greatest good that mortals know, And all of heaven we have below.
A thousand trills and quivering sounds In airy circles o'er us fly, Till, wafted by a gentle breeze, They faint and languish by degrees, And at a distance die.