Now rests her soul in Jesu's arms,
Her body in the grave sleeps well,
His heart her death-chilled heart re-warms,
And rest more deep than tongue can tell,
Her few brief hours of conflict passed,—
She finds with Christ, her Friend, at last;
She bathes in tranquil seas of peace,
God wipes away her tears, she feels
New life that all her languor heals,
The glory of the Lamb she sees.
She hath escaped all danger now,
Her pain and sighing all are fled;
The crown of joy is on her brow,
Eternal glories o'er her shed,
In golden robes, a queen, a bride,
She standeth at her Sovereign's side,
She sees His face unveiled and bright;
With joy and love He greets her soul,
She feels herself made inly whole,
A lesser light amid His light.
The child hath now its Father seen,
And feels what kindling love may be,
And knoweth what those words may mean,
"Himself, the Father, loveth thee."
A shoreless ocean, an abyss
Unfathomed, filled with good and bliss,
Now breaks on her enraptured sight;
She sees God's face, she learneth there
What this shall be, to be His heir,
Joint-heir with Christ, her Lord, in light.
The body rests, its labours over,
And sleeps till Christ shall bid it wake;
The dust that earth and darkness cover,
Then as a sun its tomb shall break.
Ah, with what joy it rises then
To meet the perfect soul again!
Redeemed from death, no more to sever,
At that great marriage feast shall they
With all the saints their homage pay,
And worship there the Lamb for ever.
We who yet wander through the waste,
In faith long after Thee on high;
While here the bread of tears we taste,
We think upon that home of joy,
Where we (who knows how soon?) shall meet
With all the saints at Jesu's feet,
And dwell with Him for ever there.
We shall see God; how deep the bliss
We know not yet that lies in this;
Lord Jesus, come, our hearts prepare!
Source: Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year #103
Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files