The Seventh-Day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book ‎#938

938. Behold the western evening light!

1 Behold the western evening light!
It melts in deepening gloom;
So calmly Christians sink away,
Descending to the tomb.

2 The winds breathe low, the yellow leaf
Scarce whispers from the tree;
So gently flows the parting breath
When good men cease to be.

3 How mildly on the wandering cloud
The sunset beam is cast!
So sweet the memory left behind
When loved ones breathe their last.

4 And lo! above the dews of night
The vesper star appears;
So faith lights up the mourner's heart,
Whose eyes are dim with tears.

5 Night falls, but soon the morning light
Its glories shall restore;
And thus the eyes that sleep in death,
Shall wake to close no more.

Text Information

• First Line: Behold the western evening light!
• Author: William B. O. Peabody
• Publication Date: 1886
• Topic: Death and Resurrection
• Notes: Now Public Domain.

Tune Information

• Name: CHINA
• Composer: Timothy Swan
• Meter: C. M.
• Key: B♭ Major
• Notes: Now Public Domain. Alternate tunes: #941 or 644.