516: Come down, O Love divine


1 Come down, O Love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

2 O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

3 And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till Love create a place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

Text information
First Line:Come down, O Love divine
Author:Bianco da Siena, d. 1434?
Translator:Richard Frederick Littledale, 1833-1890 (alt.)
Publication Date:1982
Meter:66. 11. D
Topic:The Holy Spirit
Language:English
Tune information
Tune name:DOWN AMPNEY
Composer:Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958
Meter:66. 11. D
Key:D Major
Copyright:By permission of Oxford University Press.

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