Come to our poor nature's night

Author: George Rawson

Born: June 5, 1807, Leeds, England. Died: March 25, 1889, Clifton, England. Buried: Arno’s Vale Cemetery, Bristol, England. Pseudonym: A Leeds Layman. Rawson, George, was born June 5, 1807, at Leeds, in which town he practised for many years as a solicitor. In 1853 he assisted the Congregational ministers of Leeds in the compilation of Psalms, Hymns, and Passages of Scripture for Christian Worship, a volume commonly known as the Leeds Hymn-book. Mr. Rawson was a member of the Congregational body. In 1858 he also assisted Rev. Dr. Green and other Baptist ministers in the preparation of Psalms and Hymns for the use of the Baptist Denomination. A number of Mr. Rawson's own compositions first appeared in this and in the Leeds Hymn-boo… Go to person page >

Come to our [dark] poor nature's night. G. Rawson. [Whitsuntide.] Contributed to the Leeds Hymn Book, 1853, No. 397, in 9 stanzas of 4 lines, and from thence it has passed into numerous collections. In 1876 the author included a revised text, in 8 stanzas, in his Hymns, &c, No. 46. This, however, is not in general use. Original text, New Congregational Hymn Book, No. 438. The hymn, "Come to our dark nature's night," in the 1876 edition of Hymnal Companion is a slightly altered version of the original text with the omission of stanza vii. In the American Hymns & Songs of Praise, N. Y., 1874, it is given as "Holy Ghost, the Infinite."

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)