The much-loved hymn, “Creator spirit, by whose aid,” is a free paraphrase of the famous Latin hymn, “Veni Creator Spiritus” (“Come, Creator Spirit”), ascribed to Rabanus Maurus in the 9th century. The paraphrase was made in 1693 by John Dryden, England’s first Poet Laureate.  The hymn is a prayer for the work of the Holy Spirit in us.