Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship ‎#339

339. Lead, Kindly Light

1. Lead, kindly Light, amid th' encircling gloom;
O lead me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
O lead me on!
Keep firm my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene, one step enough for me.

2. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that you
Should lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path, but now,
Please lead me on!
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will; remember not past years.

3. So long your pow'r has blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

Text Information

• First Line: Lead, kindly light, amid th' encircling gloom
• Title: Lead, Kindly Light
• Author: John Henry Newman (1834)
• Meter: 10.4.10.4.10.10
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 2024
• Scripture:
  Psalm 43:3
• Topic: Ordinary Time: Week 26
• Notes: Text by John Henry Newman, on sabbatical from Oriel College and the vicarage of St. Mary’s, Oxford, later published in The British Magazine (March 1834), alt.

Tune Information

• Name: SANDON
• Composer: Charles H. Purday (1860)
• Meter: 10.4.10.4.10.10
• Incipit: 33343 32123
• Key: F Major or modal
• Notes: Tune SANDON by Charles H. Purday, precentor of Crown Court Scottish Church, London, from Church and Home Metrical Psalter and Hymnal (1860).