Now Ancient Shadows Flee

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Now ancient shadows flee

Author: Sebastien Besnault; Translator: Robert Campbell
Tune: DOVER (Williams)
Published in 1 hymnal

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Now ancient shadows flee,
Now night and terror cease;
Thy God, O earth, begins with thee
A covenant of peace.

2 He who is Light of light,
The true unclouded sun,
Bleeds to remove sad nature’s blight,
From wrongs that we have done.

3 This day He doth bestow
The first-fruits of that blood,
Which will hereafter richly flow
To be our cleansing flood.

4 He takes that sacred name
At which we bend the knee;
Oh, how befitting Him who came
Our sacrifice to be.

5 The Son who gave His blood,
The Father of our Lord,
The Holy Ghost—one God most good,
For ever be adored.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #8384

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Author: Sebastien Besnault

Little is known of Abbé Besnault save that he was a priest of St. Maurice at Sens and one of the contributors to the Cluniac Breviary of 1686. He died April 29, 1724. Some of his hymns are also included in the Sens Breviary of 1726, and two hymns, for the Feast of the Circumcision, in the Paris Breviary, 1736. --Hymnal 1940 Companion… Go to person page >

Translator: Robert Campbell

Robert Campbell was an advocate residing in Edinburgh. He is not much known as an author, but some of his hymns have been adopted in several hymnals. He was Roman Catholic. His death occurred in 1868. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872.… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Now ancient shadows flee
Title:	Now Ancient Shadows Flee
Latin Title:	Debilis cessent elementa legis
Author:	Sebastien Besnault
Translator:	Robert Campbell
Meter:	6.6.8.6
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain