My beloved spoke and said unto me,
Song of Solomon 2:10–12Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For the winter is past; the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear upon the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
Words: Jackson Mason, in Supplemental Hymns to Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1889.
Music: O Voice Joseph Barnby, in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1889 (🔊 pdf nwc).
Alternate Tune:
If you know where to get a good photo of Mason (head-and-shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels), would you ?
O voice of the Belovèd!
Thy bride hath heard Thee say,
“Rise up, My love, My fair one,
Arise and come away.
For lo, ’tis past, the winter,
The winter of thy year;
The rain is past and over,
The flowers on earth appear.
And now the time of singing
Is come for every bird;
And over all the country
The turtle dove is heard;
The fig her green fruit ripens,
The vines are in their bloom;
Arise and smell their fragrance;
My love, My fair one, come!
Yea, Lord! Thy passion over,
We know this life of ours
Hath passed from death and winter
To leaves and budding flowers;
No more Thy rain of weeping
In drear Gethsemane;
No more the clouds and darkness,
That veiled Thy bitter tree.
Our Easter sun is risen!
And yet we slumber long,
And need Thy dove’s sweet pleading
To waken prayer and song.
Oh breathe upon our deadness,
Oh shine upon our gloom;
Lord, let us feel Thy presence
And rise and live and bloom.