Ye clouds and dark­ness, hosts of night,
That breed con­fu­sion and af­fright,
Begone! o’er­head the dawn shines clear,
The light breaks in, and Christ is here.

Earth’s gloom flees brok­en and dis­persed,
By the sun’s pierc­ing shafts co­erced:
The day-star’s eyes rain in­flu­ence bright,
And co­lors glim­mer back to sight.

Thee, Christ, alone we know; to Thee
We bend in pure sim­pli­ci­ty;
Our songs with tears to Thee arise;
Prove Thou our hearts with Thy clear eyes.

Though we be stained with blots with­in,
Thy quick­en­ing rays shall purge our sin;
Light of the morn­ing star, Thy grace
Shed on us from Thy cloud­less face.

All laud to God the Fa­ther be,
All praise, eter­nal Son, to Thee;
All glo­ry, as is ev­er meet,
To God the ho­ly Pa­ra­clete.