Morning Hymn



Autumn photo by wistine on Flickr

Eternal Maker of the light,
True Light itself, surpassing day,
No gloom or darkness can You know,
In Your own light which has no end.

Pale shades of night are yielding fast,
Before the bold advance of day;
Resplendent shines the morning star
While other constellations fade.

We gladly rise to sing Your praise,
And thank You with renewed delight,
That rising sun brings back the day,
To conquer night’s obscurity.

Most Holy One, we beg of You
Let not our souls be led astray,
By nature’s pleasures and desires
Or by the world’s deceiving glare.

Let no contention raise disputes,
Nor greed disgrace a Christian’s name,
Nor greed for riches be a snare,
Nor evil thoughts corrupt our minds.

But let us show well-governed souls,
Within a body chaste and pure,
To spend this day in work and prayer,
For Christ our Leader and our Lord.

O Father, this we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ Your only Son,
Whom in the Spirit we adore:
One God who reigns for evermore.
Amen.

~Text: Anonymous from the fifth or sixth century (Translation: Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey) & Music: Andernach Gesangbuch