Scripture Verse

The Dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78–79

Introduction

portrait
Johann Rist (1607–1667)

Words: Jo­hann Rist, 1655 (Wer­de Licht, du Stadt der Hei­den). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­the­rine Wink­worth, Chor­ale Book for Eng­land, 1863, num­ber 38.

Music: Je­sus Allt Mitt Go­da Är, pos­si­bly by Ja­kob Ar­rhe­ni­us, 1694 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Catherine Winkworth
(1827–1878)

Lyrics

Rise, O Sa­lem, rise and shine;
Lo, the Gen­tiles hail thy wak­ing;
Herald of a morn di­vine,
See the day­spring o’er us break­ing,
Telling God hath called to mind
Those who long in dark­ness pined.

O how blind­ly we did stray,
Ere this sun our earth had bright­ened;
Heaven we sought not, for no ray
Had our wil­dered eyes en­light­ened:
All our looks were earth­ward bent,
All our strength on earth was spent.

But the day­spring from on high
Hath aris­en with beams un­cloud­ed,
And we see be­fore Him fly
All the hea­vy gloom that shroud­ed
This sad earth, where sin and woe
Seemed to reign o’er all be­low.

Thine ap­pear­ing, Lord, shall fill
All my thoughts in sor­row’s hour;
Thine ap­pear­ing, Lord, shall still
All my dread of death’s dark pow­er;
Whether joys or tears be mine,
Through them still Thy light shall shine.

Let me, when my course is run,
Calmly leave a world of sad­ness
For the place that needs no sun—
For Thou art its light and glad­ness—
For the man­sions fair and bright,
Where Thy saints are crowned with light.