Sister M. J.: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

How fleeting all my pleasures seem

Sister M. J.

“How fleeting all my pleasures seem” as printed in A First Series of Hymns and Songs (1853).

Sister M. J.: Collected Lyrics Text 6 1853 · historical text
Public domainHymnSacred song
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from A First Series of Hymns and Songs, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

How fleeting all my pleasures seem!

No joy in them I find;

They pass like morning's early beam,

And leave no trace behind.

That lily nurs'd with fond delight,

So fragrant and so fair,

Struck down, alas! by sudden blight,

It dies, despite my care.

Verse 2

And all the bright and sunny flowers

I've watch'd from day to day,

They bloom their few short summer hours,

And then they fade away.

Yet, as they fade and disappear,

Methinks I hear them cry,

"Dear little friend, so young and fair,

Remember you must die."

Verse 3

Ah, yes! and may I on that day,

When Jesus calls me hence,

Like my fair lily, pass away

In spotless innocence.

And like the rose whose sweets outlive

Its gay and fleeting bloom,

May I fair virtue's odour give

E'en from the silent tomb.

Credits

Written by Sister M. J.

Words by Sister M. J.. Historical text published in A First Series of Hymns and Songs (1853); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

A First Series of Hymns and Songs (1853), “How fleeting all my pleasures seem”

Every text in this 1853 collection is by Henry Formby (1816-1884), who died more than 140 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-26. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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