The Dayspring from on High

O very God of very God,
And very Light of Light,
Whose feet this earth's dark valley trod,
That so it might be bright!

Our hopes are weak, our foes are strong,
Thick darkness blinds our eyes;
Cold is the night, and O we long
For Thee, our Sun, to rise!

And even now, though dull and gray,
The east is brightening fast,
And kindling to the perfect day
That never shall be past.

O guide us till our path be done,
And we have reached the shore
Where Thou, our everlasting Sun,
Art shining evermore!

We wait in faith, and turn our face
To where the daylight springs,
Till Thou shalt come our gloom to chase,
With healing on Thy wings.

John Mason Neale, 1846.

TWO FAMOUS TRANSLATORS OF ANCIENT HYMNS

Little more than a century ago--in the year 1818, to be exact--there was
born in the great city of London a child who was destined to become an
unusual scholar. He was christened John Mason Neale, a name that may be
found today throughout the pages of the world's best hymn-books.

When he was only five years old, his father died, and, like so many other
men who have achieved fame, he received the greater part of his
elementary training from a gifted mother.

At Cambridge University, which he entered at an early age, he became a
brilliant student, leading his classes and winning numerous prizes. After
his graduation he was ordained as a minister in the Church of England.

His interest in the ancient hymns of the Christian Church led him to
spend much time in the morning lands of history, particularly in Greece.
To him, more than any one else, we owe some of the most successful
translations from the classical languages. By his sojourn in eastern
lands, he seems to have been enabled to catch the spirit of the Greek
hymns to such a degree that his translations read almost like original
poems. For instance, in order to do justice to the famous Easter hymn of
John of Damascus, written some time during the eighth century, Neale
celebrated Easter in Athens and heard the "glorious old hymn of victory,"
as he called it, sung by a great throng of worshipers at midnight. The
result is his sublime translation:

The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad!
The Passover of gladness,
The Passover of God!
From death to