Hail this joyful day's return

Author (attributed to): Hilary of Poitiers

Hilary, Hilarius Pictaviensis, Saint, Bishop, and, according to St. Augustine, "the Illustrious Doctor of all the Churches," was born of heathen parents of an illustrious family and great wealth, at Poictiers early in the fourth century. He received, as a heathen, an excellent classical education, so that St. Jerome says of him that he "was brought up in the pompous school of Gaul, yet had culled the flowers of Grecian science, and became the Rhone of Latin eloquence." Early in life he married, and had a daughter named Abra, Afra, or Apra. About 350 he renounced, in company with his wife and daughter, the Pagan religion of his family, and became a devout and devoted Christian. After his baptism he so gained the respect and love of his fello… Go to person page >

Translator: Robert Campbell

Robert Campbell was an advocate residing in Edinburgh. He is not much known as an author, but some of his hymns have been adopted in several hymnals. He was Roman Catholic. His death occurred in 1868. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872.… Go to person page >

Hail the joyful day's return. By R. Campbell, was written for his St. Andrew's Hymnal, and published therein in 1850, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines, and from thence passed into the Scottish Episcopal Collection, 1858; and with the single change of the to this stanza i., line 1 in Shipley's Annus Sanctus, 1884.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)