When bend­ing o’er the brink of life,
My trem­bling soul shall stand;
I wait to pass death’s aw­ful flood,
Great God, at Thy com­mand!

When weep­ing friends sur­round my bed,
And close my sight­less eyes,
When shat­tered by the weight of years
This brok­en body lies—

When eve­ry long loved scene of life
Stands rea­dy to depart,
When that last sigh which shakes the frame
Shall rend this burst­ing heart—

O, Thou great source of joy su­preme,
Whose arm alone can save,
Dispel the dark­ness that sur­rounds
The ent­rance to the grave!

Lay Thy sup­port­ing gentle hand
Beneath my sink­ing head;
And with a ray of love d­ivine,
Illume my dy­ing bed!

I lean on Thy dear faith­ful breast
As I re­sign my breath!
And in Thy fond em­brac­es, lose
The bit­ter­ness of death!