The Lutheran Hymnary ‎#595

595. Despair not, O heart, in thy sorrow

1 Despair not, O heart, in thy sorrow,
But hope from God's promises borrow;
Beware, in thy sorrow, of sinning,
For death is of life the beginning.

2 The body is shrouded in mourning;
The garlands, the casket adorning,
Are emblems of hope that betoken,
O death, that thy power is broken.

3 A dearly beloved one hath left us;
God hath in His wisdom bereft us;
But He will not leave us forsaken,--
We know that the dead shall awaken.

4 When dawneth the glorious morrow,
This body, that we view with sorrow,
A glorified form shall be given,
Restored to its spirit in heaven.

5 The seed that in springtime is planted,
Is hid in the ground; but, if granted
A measure of sunshine and showers,
Will spring into fruitage and flowers.

6 A gift to the churchyard we tender,
As dust to the dust we surrender;
Returning the clay to its Maker,
We lay it to rest in God's acre.

7 A soul in that body abided,
A soul that in Jesus confided,
A soul that hath longed for salvation,
And now hath found hope's consumation.

8 O earth, we consign to thy keeping
This body with sorrow and weeping;
In peace to await resurrection,
When it shall arise in perfection.

9 O Christ, our souls' Maker and Lover;
When time and earth's travail are over,
Thou closest the grave's mournful story
And callest Thine own to Thy glory.

Text Information

• First Line: Despair not, O heart, in thy sorrow
• Author: A.C. Prudentius (ca. 413)
• Author: P. Hegelund (1586)
• Meter: 9s. 4L.
• Publication Date: 1913
• Topic: The Last Things: Burial and Resurrection; The Last Things: Burial and Ressurection; Resurrection

Tune Information

• Name: [Despair not, O heart]
• Meter: 9s. 4L.
• Key: F Major
• Source: 4th Century? 1542