1. Despair not, O heart, in thy sorrow, But hope from God's promises borrow Beware in thy sorrow, of sinning For death is of life the beginning.
2. The body is shrouded in mourning; The garlands, the casket adorning, Are emblems of hope that betoken, O Death, that thy power is broken.
3. A dearly belov'd one hath left us; God hath in His Wisdom bereft us; But He will not leave us forsaken,We know that the dead shall awaken.
4. When dawneth the glorious morrow, This body that we view with sorrow, A glorified form shall be given, Restored to its spirit in heaven.
5. The seed that in springtime is planted, Is hid in the ground, but if granted A measure of sunshine and showers, Will spring into fruitage and flowers;
6. A gift to the churchyard we tender, As dust to the dust we surrender; Returning the clay to its Maker, We lay it to rest in God's acre.
7. A soul in that body abided, A soul that in Jesus confided, A soul that hath longed for salvation, And now hath found hope's consummation.
8. O earth, we consign to thy keeping This body with sorrow and weeping; In peace to await resurrection, When it shall arise in perfection.
9. O Christ, our soul's Maker and Lover; When time and earth's travail are over, Thou closest the grave's mournful story, And callest Thine own to Thy glory.
Words: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-413). Translated by O. T. Sanden, 1909.
Music: 'Iam Moesta' or 'Jam Moesta' or 'Despair Not O Heart' or 'Med Sorgen Og Klagen' unknown, sometimes attr. Martin Luther, 1542.
Setting: "The Wartburg Hymnal", 1918, alt.
copyright: public domain. This score is a part of the Open Hymnal Project, 2010 Revision.
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