Hear us Blessed Trinity! As Thou heard'st Thy saints before, II. Hymns at Lauds. 1. FOR THE FIRST DAY. Creator eternal of earth and of heaven, Thine ordinance lightens the darkness of night, And day interposed breaks its shade; Morn's herald announces the coming of light, And the stars begin slowly to fade. At His voice, comes the sun as a giant in might, And darkness recedes from the sky; Evil men veil their wrongs and pollutions from sight, And shrink from the All-seeing Eye. The worn sailor his toil with new vigor begins, While the Church, with weak Peter remembering her sins, Bewails them with groaning and tears. Spring we then from our couches with vigor and haste, The cock crowing calls us to rise; It warns him who dares God's bestowments to waste, And rebukes the mad soul that denies. At cock-crowing, hope lightens up the lone heart, And the sick hail the day-spring in heaven; The red dagger is sheathed, as the shadows depart, And new faith to the fallen is given. Jesu! behold us all sunken in sin, And as Thou beholdest, chastise! One look, and our hearts shall be broken within, And repentance shall stream from our eyes. Shine in on each sense, O! Thou light-giving King! And dispel all the dreams of our night, So our voices right early, thy praises shall sing, To God the great Father of earth and of Heaven, Be honor, and glory, and majesty given, 2. FOR THE SECOND DAY. Thou splendor of the Father's light, O very Sun! descend from heaven, And be to us in glory given; Thy Holy Spirit's beams dispense, Pour them on heart, and soul, and sense. Great God! our voice we raise to Thee, Father of grace most full and free! To pardon sin, and cleanse its stain. Strengthen our souls, whene'er we stand, Guide Thou and govern all our mind, Christ be our spirits' food this day! "Let us not think," as Origen says of a similar expression in the song of Zacharias, "that this is spoken of bodily, but of spiritual enemies." Holy through grace, be all this day; At noon let Faith more brightly glow; As morning ushers in the light, To God the Father glory be, Glory to God the Son; Both with the Spirit. One in Three, 3. FOR THE THIRD DAY. Day's winged herald through the lands, And Christ's own voice our souls commands To wake to life and light. |