Lift up your heads, ye gates of brass;

James Montgomery 1771 (Irvine) – 1854



Lift up your heads, ye gates of brass;
Ye bars of iron, yield!
And let the King of glory pass;
The Cross is in the field!

A holy war his servants wage,
Mysteriously at strife;
The powers of heaven and hell engage
For more than death or life.

Ye armies of the living God,
His sacramental host,
Where hallowed footstep never trod,
Take your appointed post.

Follow the Cross; the ark of Peace
Accompany your path:
To souls imprisoned bring release
From bondage and from wrath.

Uplifted are the gates of brass;
The bars of iron yield;
Behold the King of glory pass!
The Cross has won the field!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
39

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH ABAB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 580
Words 111
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

James Montgomery

The Very Reverend James Francis Montgomery was an Anglican priest in the second half of the 19th century He studied for the bar before being ordained after a period of study at Durham University, and was a Curate at Puddletown before Edinburgh incumbencies. more…

All James Montgomery poems | James Montgomery Books

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