Scripture Verse

This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go. Acts 1:11

Introduction

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Ralph Vaughan Williams
(1872–1958)

Words: The Ve­ne­ra­ble Bede (673–735) (Hym­num ca­na­mus Do­mi­no). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Ben­ja­min Webb in The Hym­nal Not­ed, 1854, alt.

Music: Lasst uns er­freu­en, Aus­ser­le­se­ne ca­thol­ische geist­liche Kirch­en­ge­säng (Co­logne, Ger­ma­ny: Peter von Brach­el, 1623). Har­mo­ny by Ralph Vaugh­an Will­iams, in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 519 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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The Venerable Bede (673–735)

Lyrics

A hymn of glo­ry let us sing
New songs through­out the world shall ring
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
Christ, by a road be­fore un­trod
Ascendeth to the throne of God.
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.

The holy apos­tol­ic band
Upon the Mount of Ol­ives stand
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
And with His fol­low­ers they see
Jesus’ re­splen­dent majesty
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.

To whom the an­gels draw­ing nigh,
Why stand and gaze up­on the sky?
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
This is the Sav­ior, thus they say.
This is His no­ble tri­umph day.
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.

Again ye shall be­hold Him so,
As ye have to­day seen Him go.

Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
In glo­ri­ous pomp as­cend­ing high
Up to the por­tals of the sky.

Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.

O grant us thi­ther­ward to tend
And with un­wear­ied hearts as­cend,
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
Unto Thy king­dom’s throne, where Thou
As is our faith, art seat­ed now,
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.

Be Thou our joy and strong de­fense,
Who art our fu­ture re­com­pense,
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
So shall the light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eter­ni­ty,
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.

O ris­en Christ, as­cend­ed Lord,
All praise to Thee let earth ac­cord,
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia.
Who art, while end­less ages run,
With Fa­ther and with Spir­it One,
Alleluia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia, Al­le­lu­ia.