The New English Hymnal ‎#60a

60a. O kind Creator, bow thine ear

1 O kind Creator, bend thine ear
To mark the cry, to know the tear
Before thy throne of mercy spent
In this thy holy fast of Lent.

2 Our hearts are open, Lord, to thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Pour out on all who seek thy face
Abundance of thy pardoning grace.

3 Our sins are many, this we know;
Spare us, good Lord, thy mercy show;
And for the honour of thy name
Our fainting souls to life reclaim.

4 Give us the self-control that springs
From discipline of outward things,
That fasting inward secretly
The soul may purely dwell with thee.

5 We pray thee, holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we from this our abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence. Amen.

Text Information

• First Line: O kind Creator, bow thine ear
• Latin Title: Audi benigne Conditor
• Author (attributed to): St. Gregory, 540-604
• Translator: T. A. Lacey, 1853-1931
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1986
• Topic: The Christian Year: Lent; Office Hymn

Tune Information

• Name: AUDI BENIGNE
• Key: e minor
• Copyright: Arr. by permission of Oxford University Press (from "English Hymnal," 1933)