Can I bid thee, lovely stranger

Can I bid thee, lovely stranger

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 2 hymnals

Representative Text

Can I bid thee, lovely stranger,
Welcome to a world of care?
Where attends thee many a danger,
Where awaits thee many a snare?

Hence, away, ye dark surmizes,
Hope presents a fairer scene;
Many a blooming pleasure rises,
Many a sunbeam shines serene.

O may providence defend thee!
Circled in its guardian arms,
Dangers may in vain attend thee,
Safe amid surrounding harms.

Shall I wish the world caressing?
Wish thee pleasure, grandeur, wealth?
No—but many a nobler blessing;
Wisdom, virtue, friendship, health.

May'st thou know the gracious donor,
Early know, and love and praise!
Then shall real wealth and honour,
Peace and pleasure crown thy days.

Source: Miscellaneous Pieces in Verse and Prose #129

Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Can I bid thee, lovely stranger
Author: Anne Steele
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

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Hymns for Schools and Families #d18

Text

Miscellaneous Pieces in Verse and Prose #129

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