The Cyber Hymnal ‎#14546

14546. Nature's Alleluia

1 Alleluia! Christ is ris’n today,
From the tomb in the garden wherein He lay;
Shining angels raise their shout on high,
And on earth we exultingly make reply:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, amen.
Nature, too, that thro’ long dreary gloom,
Lay embalmed in the shroud of her wintry tomb,
Rises now to meet her rising Lord,
And in myriad echo repeats the word:

Refrain:
Alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, amen.

2 See the streamlet burst its icy chain!
Leaping out into sunlight, it seeks the plain,
And its joy in liquid tones it tells
To the rocks and the woods and the winding dells:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, amen.
Giant pines, whose broad, upreaching arms
Bore the frosts and the snows of the northern storms,
To the balmy breezes blowing now
Give a murmuring whisper on every bough. [Refrain]

3 Little birds, that flew so far away,
Now return with a sweet, merry, roundelay;
Through the shady grove, in soft refrain,
Lo, the voice of the turtle is heard again.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, amen.
In the old church tower the swallows build,
And their nests with the tenderest young are filled;
And they join the chanting when they hear
Both the organ and choir swelling loud and clear: [Refrain]

4 Now the primrose greets the daffodil,
And the daisy is winking on every hill,
And the pansy drinks the light of day,
And the breath of the violet seems to say:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, amen.
Now the Rose of Sharon opens wide,
On the sunshiny banks of the mountain side;
And the lily of the valley blooms,
Filling every vale with its rich perfumes: [Refrain]

5 While the fields are clothed in beauty rare,
Shall the altar of Jesu be cold and bare?
Shall the Church no loving token show
That the Risen above is to rise below?
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, amen.
Round the altar let bright flow’rs be seen,
With the fresh-budding branches of evergreen;
Let the earth, with us, her incense bring,
And the trees of the forest rejoice and sing: [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: Alleluia! Christ is ris’n today,
• Title: Nature's Alleluia
• Author: John H. Hopkins, Jr.
• Refrain First Line: Alleluia, alleluia
• Language: English
• Source: Carols, Hymns and Songs (New York: Church Book Depository, 1863)
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: [Alleluia! Christ is ris’n today]
• Composer: John Henry Hopkins, Jr.
• Key: G Major or modal
• Copyright: Public Domain