1 The duteous day now closeth;
each flow'r and tree reposeth,
shade creeps o’er wild and wood;
let us, as night is falling,
on God our Maker calling,
give thanks to Him, the Giver good.
2 Now all the heav'nly splendor
breaks forth in starlight tender
from myriad worlds unknown;
and man, the marvel seeing,
forgets his selfish being
for joy of beauty not his own.
3 His care he drowneth yonder,
lost in th'abyss of wonder;
to heav'n his soul doth steal;
this life he disesteemeth,
the day it is that dreameth,
that doth from truth his vision seal.
4 Awhile his mortal blindness
may miss God’s loving-kindness,
and grope in faithless strife;
but when life’s day is over
shall death’s fair night discover
the fields of everlasting life.
Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #431
Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which condemned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >
Robert S. Bridges (b. Walmer, Kent, England, 1844; d. Boar's Hill, Abingdon, Berkshire, England, 1930) In a modern listing of important poets Bridges' name is often omitted, but in his generation he was considered a great poet and fine scholar. He studied medicine and practiced as a physician until 1881, when he moved to the village of Yattendon. He had already written some poetry, but after 1881 his literary career became a full-time occupation, and in 1913 he was awarded the position of poet laureate in England. Bridges published The Yattendon Hymnal (1899), a collection of one hundred hymns (forty-four written or translated by him with settings mainly from the Genevan psalter, arranged for unaccompanied singing. In addition to volumes… Go to person page >| First Line: | The duteous day now closeth |
| Title: | The Duteous Day Now Closeth |
| Author: | Paul Gerhardt |
| Translator: | Robert Bridges |
| Meter: | 7.7.6.7.7.8 |
| Language: | English |
| Copyright: | Public Domain |
My Starred Hymns