1 O'er field and forest stealing,
Comes night, all eyelids sealing,
And silence holds the air;
But wake, my soul, before Him,
And gratefully adore Him
Who guards thee with a sleepless care.
2 The sun himself hath vanished,
By conquering darkness banished,
By darkness, foe of day;
But Christ my sun ascendeth,
New light and joy He lendeth
To drive my spirit's gloom away.
3 The day declared His glory,
The stars now tell the story,
The marvels of His might,
So, when this life is ended,
I with the saints ascended
Shall praise His love in endless light.
4 My body for its resting
Of toil-stained garb divesting,
In sleep, from care I hide,
What dreams and visions cheer me!
How Christ, my Lord, comes near me!
And sets me by His wounded side.
5 With mind and body jaded,
And eyes from watching faded,
I long the day to close.
Soon comes the time and hour
When from all troublous power
Kind death shall bring a sweet repose.
6 When eyes shall close for ever,
When soul and body sever,
What then for me remains?
The God of my salvation
Will, in His new creation,
Give endless bliss for mortal pains.
Source: Methodist Hymn and Tune Book: official hymn book of the Methodist Church #225a
Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which condemned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >
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