Scripture Verse

They had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Revelation 9:11

Introduction

Words: Will­iam Cow­per, Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­iv­er, 1779), Book 3, num­ber 20. The val­ley of the sha­dow of death.

Music: Ab­bots­ford Ca­tho­lische geist­liche Ge­sänge (An­der­nach, Ger­ma­ny: 1608) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

portrait
William Cowper (1731–1800)

Lyrics

illustration
Angel with the Key to the Bottomless Pit
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)

My soul is sad and much dis­mayed;
See, Lord, what le­gions of my foes,
With fierce Apol­ly­on at their head,
My heav’n­ly pil­grim­age op­pose!

See, from the ov­er-burn­ing lake
How like a smo­ky cloud they rise!
With hor­rid blasts my soul they shake,
With storms of blas­phe­mies and lies.

Their fie­ry ar­rows reach the mark,
My throb­bing heart with ang­uish tear;
Each lights upon a kin­dred spark,
And finds abun­dant fu­el there.

I hate the thought that wrongs the Lord;
O, I would drive it from my breast,
With Thy own sharp two-edged sword,
Far as the east is from the west!

Come then, and chase the cru­el host,
Heal the deep wounds I have re­ceived!
Nor let the pow­ers of dark­ness boast
That I am foiled, and Thou art grieved!