Thanks for being a Hymnary.org user. You are one of more than 10 million people from 200-plus countries around the world who have benefitted from the Hymnary website in 2024! If you feel moved to support our work today with a gift of any amount and a word of encouragement, we would be grateful.

You can donate online at our secure giving site.

Or, if you'd like to make a gift by check, please make it out to CCEL and mail it to:
Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 3201 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
And may the promise of Advent be yours this day and always.

Click here to donate to Hymnary.org I have already donated. Please don't show this to me again

Forty Days and Forty Nights

View this hymn using FlexPresent: Hymnary.org's free tool provides this hymn's music notationand lyrics synchronized with its audio

Forty days and forty nights, Thou wast fasting in the wild

Author: George Hunt Smyttan (1856)
Tune: HEINLEIN
Published in 159 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Playable presentation: Lyrics only, lyrics + music
Audio files: MIDI, Recording

Song available on My.Hymnary

FlexScore

FlexScore

Piano/Organ

The Art of Hymn Playing: 250 Introductio…

Choral

Michael's Drum

Representative Text

1. Forty days and forty nights
You were fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, and yet undefiled.

2. Sunbeams scorching all the day;
Chilly dew-drops nightly shed;
Prowling beasts about your way;
Stones your pillow; earth your bed.

3. Shall not we your sorrow share,
And from earthly joys abstain,
Fasting with unceasing prayer,
Glad with you to suffer pain?

4. And if Satan, vexing sore,
Flesh or spirit should assail,
Christ, his vanquisher before,
Grant we may not faint or fail.

5. So shall we have peace divine;
Holier gladness ours be due;
Round us, too, shall angels shine,
Such as ministered to you.

6. Keep, oh, keep us, Savior dear,
Ever constant at your side;
That we may with you appear
In your resurrection-tide.

Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #86b

All representative texts • Compare texts^ top

Author: George Hunt Smyttan

George Hunt Smyttan studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and graduated B.A. 1845. He was ordained Deacon in 1848, Priest in 1849, and appointed Rector of Hawksworth in 1850. He has published some small volumes of poetry. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872… Go to person page >

^ top

Text Information

Related Texts

First Line: Forty days and forty nights, Thou wast fasting in the wild
Title: Forty Days and Forty Nights
Author: George Hunt Smyttan (1856)
Meter: 7.7.7.7
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
^ top

Notes

Forty days and forty nights. G. H. Smyttan. [Lent.] First published in the Penny Post, March, 1856 (vol. vi. p. 60), in 9 stanzas of 4 lines, headed "Poetry for Lent; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing," and signed "G. H. S." In 1861, 6 stanzas were given with alterations in the Rev. F. Pott's Hymns, &c, and repeated in Hymns Ancient & Modern 1861-75; Mrs. Brock's Children's Hymn Book, 1881, and others. Other slightly altered texts are given in the Sarum Hymnal, 1868; the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, 1871, and others. This hymn has extended to a few American collections.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

^ top

Tune

HEINLEIN

AUS DER TIEFE (also called HEINLEIN) was published in the Nürnbergisches Gesang-Buch (1676-77) as a setting for Christoph Schwamlein's text based on Psalm 130 "Aus der Tiefe rufe ich" ("Out of the Depths I Cry"). In that songbook the tune was attributed to "M. H.," initials that are generally acce…

Go to tune page >


All tunes published with 'Forty Days and Forty Nights'^ top

Timeline

^ top

Media

You have access to this FlexScore.
Download:
Are parts of this score outside of your desired range? Try transposing this FlexScore.
General Settings
Stanza Selection
Voice Selection
Text size:
Music size:
Transpose (Half Steps):
Capo:
Contacting server...
Contacting server...
Questions? Check out the FAQ

A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent (e.g. CCLI, OneLicense, etc).

This is a preview of your FlexScore.
The Book of Common Praise: being the hymn book of The Church of England in Canada (revised 1938) #105
  • MusicXML (XML)
  • MusicXML - Alternate setting (XML)
The Cyber Hymnal #1596
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
^ top

Instances

Instances (1 - 45 of 45)
TextFlexScoreAudio

Ancient and Modern #121

Ancient and Modern #121

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #202

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #202
Text

Breaking Bread (Vol. 39) #127

Breaking Bread (Vol. 39) #127
TextPage Scan

Chalice Hymnal #179

Chalice Hymnal #179

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #207

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #207
TextPage Scan

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #337

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #337
TextPage Scan

Common Praise (1998) #175

Common Praise (1998) #175
TextPage Scan

Common Praise #95

Common Praise #95

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #190

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #190
Page Scan

Complete Mission Praise #160

Complete Mission Praise #160
TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #114

CPWI Hymnal #114

Gather (3rd ed.) #483

Gather (3rd ed.) #483
TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Gather Comprehensive #384

Gather Comprehensive #384
Page Scan

Gather Comprehensive, Second Edition #411

Gather Comprehensive, Second Edition #411
TextPage Scan

Glory and Praise (3rd. ed.) #263

Glory and Praise (3rd. ed.) #263
Text InfoTextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Glory to God #167

Glory to God #167

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #56

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #56
Text

Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #86b

Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #86b

Hymns and Psalms #130a

Hymns and Psalms #130a

Hymns and Psalms #130b

Hymns and Psalms #130b

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #103

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #103
TextPage Scan

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #337

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #337

Hymns Old and New #145

Hymns Old and New #145
TextPage Scan

Journeysongs (2nd ed.) #380

Journeysongs (2nd ed.) #380
Text

Journeysongs (3rd ed.) #350

Journeysongs (3rd ed.) #350
TextPage Scan

Lead Me, Guide Me (2nd ed.) #288

Lead Me, Guide Me (2nd ed.) #288
TextPage Scan

One in Faith #421

One in Faith #421
TextPage Scan

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism #299

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism #299
Page Scan

Oramos Cantando = We Pray In Song #401

Oramos Cantando = We Pray In Song #401

Praise! psalms hymns and songs for Christian worship #390

Praise! psalms hymns and songs for Christian worship #390
TextPage Scan

RitualSong (2nd ed.) #565

RitualSong (2nd ed.) #565

Santo, Santo, Santo #116

Santo, Santo, Santo #116

Sing Glory #381

Sing Glory #381

Singing the Faith #236

Singing the Faith #236
TextPage Scan

The Book of Praise #197

The Book of Praise #197
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #1596

The Cyber Hymnal #1596
Text

The Hymnal 1982 #150

The Hymnal 1982 #150

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #343

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #343
Text

The New Century Hymnal #205

The New Century Hymnal #205
TextPage Scan

The New English Hymnal #67

The New English Hymnal #67
TextPage Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #77

The Presbyterian Hymnal #77
Text

Together in Song #591

Together in Song #591
Text

Voices United #114

Voices United #114
Text

Worship (3rd ed.) #419

Worship (3rd ed.) #419
TextPage Scan

Worship (4th ed.) #466

Worship (4th ed.) #466
Include 114 pre-1979 instances
All instances^ top
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.