1 Creator of the starry height,
thy people's everlasting light,
Jesu, redeemer of us all,
hear thou thy servants when they call.
2 Thou, sorrowing at the helpless cry
of all creation doomed to die,
didst come to save our fallen race
by healing gifts of heavenly grace.
3 When earth was near its evening hour,
thou didst, in love's redeeming power,
like bridegroom from his chamber, come
forth from a virgin-mother's womb.
4 At thy great name, exalted now,
all knees in lowly homage bow;
all things in heaven and earth adore,
and own thee King for evermore.
5 To thee, O Holy One, we pray,
our judge in that tremendous day,
ward off, while yet we dwell below,
the weapons of our crafty foe.
6 To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
praise, honour, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally.
Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #33b
First Line: | Creator of the stars of night |
Title: | Creator of the Stars of Night |
Latin Title: | Conditor alme siderum |
Translator: | J. M. Neale |
Meter: | 8.8.8.8 |
Source: | Latin Hymn, 9th Century |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Conditor [Creator] alme siderum. [Advent.] This hymn is sometimes ascribed to St. Ambrose, but on insufficient evidence. It was rejected as such by the Benedictine editors; and with this the best authorities agree. It is known in various forms…
Translation in common use:— i. The Sarum Breviary Text: Conditor alme siderum.
1. Creator of the stars of night, by J. M. Neale, in the first edition of the Hymnal Noted, 1852, No. 10, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines. This is repeated without alteration in later editions of the Hymnal Noted; in Skinner's Daily Hymnal, 1864; in the Hymner, 1882, and others. It is also given as "Creator of the starry height, Thy people's," &c, in Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1861 (the alterations being by the compilers, who had printed another arrangement of the text in their trial copy of 1859), and Allon's Supplemental Hymns, 1868, &c. In Mercer, Oxford ed., 1864, it is rewritten by Mercer. Another rendering, slightly altered, from the Hymnal Noted is, "Creator of the starry height, Of faithful hearts," &c, in the Hymnary, 1872.
--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)