The Duteous Day Now Closeth

Representative Text

1 The duteous day now closeth;
each flow'r and tree reposeth,
shade creeps o’er wild and wood;
let us, as night is falling,
on God our Maker calling,
give thanks to Him, the Giver good.

2 Now all the heav'nly splendor
breaks forth in starlight tender
from myriad worlds unknown;
and man, the marvel seeing,
forgets his selfish being
for joy of beauty not his own.

3 His care he drowneth yonder,
lost in th'abyss of wonder;
to heav'n his soul doth steal;
this life he disesteemeth,
the day it is that dreameth,
that doth from truth his vision seal.

4 Awhile his mortal blindness
may miss God’s loving-kindness,
and grope in faithless strife;
but when life’s day is over
shall death’s fair night discover
the fields of everlasting life.


Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #431

Author: Paul Gerhardt

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 >

Translator: Robert Bridges

Robert S. Bridges (b. Walmer, Kent, England, 1844; d. Boar's Hill, Abingdon, Berkshire, England, 1930) In a modern listing of important poets Bridges' name is often omitted, but in his generation he was consid­ered a great poet and fine scholar. He studied medicine and practiced as a physician until 1881, when he moved to the village of Yattendon. He had already written some poetry, but after 1881 his literary career became a full-time occupation, and in 1913 he was awarded the position of poet laureate in England. Bridges published The Yattendon Hymnal (1899), a collection of one hundred hymns (forty-four written or translated by him with settings mainly from the Genevan psalter, arranged for unaccompanied singing. In addition to volumes… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: The duteous day now closeth
Title: The Duteous Day Now Closeth
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Translator: Robert Bridges
Meter: 7.7.6.7.7.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #1280
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
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Instances

Instances (1 - 11 of 11)
Text

Common Praise (1998) #19

Hymns and Psalms #647

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Common Praise #23

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CPWI Hymnal #27

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #17a

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #17b

TextPage Scan

Hymns to the Living God #342

TextPage Scan

Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #431

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #1280

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The Hymnal 1982 #46

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The New English Hymnal #253

Include 33 pre-1979 instances
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