O God of loveliness

Representative Text

1. O God of loveliness, O Lord of Heaven above,
How worthy to possess my heart’s devoted love.
So sweet Thy countenance, so gracious to behold
That one, one only glance to me were bliss untold.

2. Thou art blest Three in One, yet undivided still,
Thou art the One alone, whose love my heart can fill.
The heav’ns and earth below were fashioned by Thy Word,
How amiable art Thou, my ever dearest Lord.

3. To think Thou art my God—O thought forever blest!
My heart has overflowed with joy within my breast.
My soul so full of bliss, is plunged as in a sea,
Deep in the sweet abyss of holy charity.

4. O Loveliness supreme, and Beauty infinite,
O ever flowing Stream and Ocean of delight,
O Life by which I live, my truest Life above,
To Thee alone I give my undivided love.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #4879

Author: Alfonso M. de Liguori

Liguori, Alphonso Maria de, born at Marianella, near Naples, Sept. 27, 1696, became Bishop of St. Agatha of the Goths in 1762, and died Aug. 1, 1787. His hymns were gathered out of his works, translated by K. A. Coffin, and published as Hymns and Verses on Spiritual Subjects, &c, in 1863. (See Italian Hymnody, p. 1316, ii., 4). From this, "My Jesus! say what wretch has dare" ( Good Friday) is taken. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O God of loveliness
Author: Alfonso M. de Liguori
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

CRUSADERS' HYMN (111271)

ST. ELIZABETH appears to be an eighteenth-century tune from the Glaz area of Silesia. It has always been associated with this text. No factual data exists for the legend that this text and tune date back to the twelfth-century crusades, although those apocryphal stories explain one of the names by w…

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Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #4879
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Instances

Instances (1 - 18 of 18)

A Hymnal and Vesperal for the Seasons and Principal Festivals of the Ecclesiastical Year #d57

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American Catholic Hymnal #49

Cantate Omnes ... with Supplement #d72

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Catholic Church Hymnal with Music #206

Jubilee Hymns for Church and School #d10

Jubilee Hymns. Parish worship ed. #d50

Jubilee Hymns. Parish worship ed. with supplement #ad50

Laudate Hymnal and Choir Book #d62

Parish Worship II. New ed. #d33

The Assumption Hymnal #d63

The Book of Catholic Worship #d54

The Catholic Hymnal and Service Book. Organ ed. #d102

The Catholic Hymnal and Service Book. Pew ed. #d102

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #4879

The Ordinary of the Mass and a Complete Manual of Hymns for Parochial Schools #d283

The Parochial Hymnal, a Select Collection #d86

Page Scan

The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book. Singers' ed., Melody ed. #38

Exclude 17 pre-1979 instances
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