Hymns of the Early Church / being translations from the poetry of the Latin church, arranged in the order of the Christian year

Advent

John Brownlie

CHRISTE, PRECAMUR ANNUE

By Ennodius, Bishop of Pavia. (See p. 32.)

I

To Thee, O Christ, our prayers shall rise,

With tears of sorrow blending;

Come for our help Thou Holy One,

On our dark night descending.

II

Our hearts shall find their rest in Thee,

And e’en in dreams shall praise Thee;

And with each rising of the sun,

Anew their songs shall raise Thee.

III

Impart a noble life, and may

Our spirit’s warmth be heightened.

Bid night depart, and with Thy love,

O may our lives be brightened.

IV

In hymns we pay our vows to Thee:

At vesper-hour we pray,

Erase the writing we have made,

Thine own let stand for aye.

IN NOCTIS UMBRA DESIDES

By Charles Coffin. (See p. 3.)

I

When evening shades around us close,

And bound in sleep our limbs repose,

The watchful soul, from slumber free,

Shall breathe its earnest prayer to Thee.

II

Desire of Nations, Word of God,

Thou Saviour of the World abroad,

Hear Thou our mournful prayer at length,

And raise the fallen by Thy strength.

III

Be near, Redeemer; by Thy grace

Forgive our erring sinful race,

Bound in the prison-house of sin—

O, open heaven and lead us in.

IV

O Thou who cam’st to set us free,

To Thee, the Son, all praises be;

To Father, Spirit, Three in One,

While the eternal ages run.

VENI, VENI, EMMANUEL!

An antiphon. The term denotes a short versicle said at the beginning and close of a psalm or psalms in the Breviary Offices. This antiphon is by an unknown author. Dr. Neale, who supposes it to be of twelfth-century date, published a translation of it in 1851, beginning, “Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel,” an altered version of which occurs in “Hymns Ancient and Modern” as an Advent hymn, with first line altered to, “O come, O come, Emmanuel” (No. 36).

I

Emmanuel, come! we call for Thee;

Come, set Thy captive Israel free,

Who, sore at heart, in exile wait

Their absent Lord, who tarries late.

Joy, joy, Emmanuel shall be born

For thee, O Israel, forlorn.

II

Come, Root of Jesse! for our foes

In cruel snare our souls enclose;

Bring us, we pray, from hell’s dark cave,

From gulf profound Thy people save.

Joy, joy, &c.

III

Come, come, O Harbinger of day!

Cheer Thou our hearts with heavenly ray,

Dispel the clouds of night that roll,

The dark of death that fills the soul.

Joy, joy, &c.

IV

Come, Key of David! in Thy might

Unlock for us the realms of light;

Make safe the path that upward tends,

Close Thou the way that downward wends.

Joy, joy, &c.

V

Come, come, O Thou Almighty Lord!

From Sinai once went forth Thy word,

When in the midst of eddying flame,

Thou didst Thy law in might proclaim.

Joy, joy, &c.

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