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Text:Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame
Author:Alexander Pope
Tune:PILOT
Composer:John Edgar Gould
Media:MIDI file

7079. Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame

1. Vital spark of heavenly flame,
Quit, O quit this mortal frame!
Trembling, hoping, lingering flying,
O the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.

2. Hark! they whisper; angels say,
Sister spirit, come away!
What is this absorbs me quite—
Steals my senses, shuts my sight,
Drowns my spirit, draws my breath?
Tell me, my soul, can this be death?

3. The world recedes—it disappears;
Heav’n opens on my eyes; my ears
With sounds seraphic ring!
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!
O grave! where is thy victory!
O death! where is thy sting?

Text Information
First Line: Vital spark of heavenly flame
Title: Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame
Author: Alexander Pope (1712)
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
Notes: The words are based on the death bed ut­ter­ance at­trib­ut­ed to Ro­man emp­er­or Ha­dr­ian: "An­i­mu­la va­gu­la, blan­du­la, hos­pes com­esque cor­por­is."
Tune Information
Name: PILOT
Composer: John Edgar Gould
Incipit: 32172 16543 32171
Key: B♭ Major
Copyright: Public Domain



Media
MIDI file: MIDI File
(Cyber Hymnal)
Noteworthy Composer score: Noteworthy Composer score
(Cyber Hymnal)
XML score: XML score
More media are available on the text authority and tune authority pages.

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