Evensong is hushed in silence

Evensong is hushed in silence

Author: John Purchas (1866: the refrain alt.)
Tune: WESTON (Roe)
Published in 11 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Evensong is hushed in silence,
And the hour of rest is nigh:
Strengthen us for work tomorrow,
Son of Mary, God most high.
Thou who in the village workshop,
Fashioning the yoke and plough,
Didst eat bread by daily labour,
Succour them that labour now.

2 How are we to reach the city,
Whose delights no tongue may tell?
By the faith that looks to Jesus,
By a life of doing well:
Sinful men and sinful women,
He will wash our sins away;
He will take us to the Sheepfold,
Whence no sheep can ever stray.

3 There the dear ones who have left us
We shall some day meet again;
There will be no bitter partings,
No more sorrow, death or pain.
Evensong has closed in silence,
And the hour of rest is nigh:
Lighten Thou our darkness, Jesus,
Son of Mary, God most high.

Source: The Church Hymnal: containing hymns approved and set forth by the general conventions of 1892 and 1916; together with hymns for the use of guilds and brotherhoods, and for special occasions (Rev. ed) #602

Author: John Purchas

Purchas, John, M.A., was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge (B.A. 1844) and became in 1866 the Minister of St. James's, Brighton. The prosecution which he underwent in connection with his ritual observances, is matter of history. His hymn in the St. Margaret's Hymnal (East Grinstead), "Evensong is hushed in silence" (Evening), was written for St. James's, Brighton, circa 1866, and was pub. with music by J. E. Roe. It is a hymn full of hopefulness with a sad undercurrent of weariness and pain. Mr. Purchas was born in Cambridge in 1823, and died Oct. 18, 1872. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)  Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Evensong is hushed in silence
Author: John Purchas (1866: the refrain alt.)
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D with refrain
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Treading the path of lifelong toil
Copyright: Public Domain

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The Cyber Hymnal #1381

Include 10 pre-1979 instances
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