O Christ who art the light and day, Thy beams chase night's dark shades away

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O Christ who art the light and day, Thy beams chase night's dark shades away

Author: Anononymous; Translator: Richard Frederick Littledale
Published in 4 hymnals

Representative Text

1 O Christ who art the light and day,
Thy beams chase night's dark shades away;
The very Light of light Thou art,
Who dost that blessed light impart.

2 All-holy Lord, to Thee we bend
Thy servants through this night defend,
And grant us calm repose in Thee,
A quiet night from perils free.

3 Let not dull sleep the soul oppress,
Nor secret foe the heart possess;
Nor Satan's wiles the flesh allure,
And make us in Thy sight impure.

4 Light slumbers let our eyelids take,
The heart to Thee be still awake;
And Thy right hand protection be
To those who love and trust in Thee.

5 O Lord, our strong defense, be nigh;
Bid all the powers of darkness fly;
Preserve and watch o'er us for good,
Whom Thou hast purchased with Thy blood.

6 Remember us, dear Lord, we pray,
Whilst burdened in the flesh we stay:
Thou only canst the soul defend;
Be with us, Savior, to the end.

Source: Wartburg Hymnal: for church, school and home #48

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Author: Anononymous

In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries. Go to person page >

Translator: Richard Frederick Littledale

Richard Frederick Littledale (b. Dublin, 1833; d. London, 1890) entered Trinity College, Dublin, as a foundation scholar, graduated with a bachelors degree in classics, a Masters of Divinity in 1858, then a Bachelors and Doctorate in Civil Law at Oxford in 1862. From 1856 to 1857 he was the curate of St. Matthew in Thorpe Hamlet, Norfolk, and from 1857 to 1861 was the curate of St. Mary the Virgin, in Soho, London. For the remainder of his life he suffered from chronic illness and spent most of his time writing. He authored many books and pamphlets on Anglican liturgy, theology, and the church’s engagement with society, and completed his good friend John Mason Neale’s work on the psalms after Neale died in 1866. Laura de Jong… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	O Christ who art the light and day, Thy beams chase night's dark shades away
German Title:	Christe, du bist der helle Tag
Author:	Anononymous
Translator:	Richard Frederick Littledale
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1918
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Tune

BROMLEY (Haydn)

The tune BROMLEY is usually credited to Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707) but there is an authorship problem: the first published use of the tune and setting was Franz Josef Haydn's "O let me in th'accepted hour," a metrical setting of Psalm 69 in Improved Psalmody (1794). The earliest extant version attr…

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[O Christ who art the light of day]

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