The Silver Lamps

Like silver lamps in a distant shrine

Author: W. Chatterton Dix (1867)
Tune: THE MANGER THRONE
Published in 43 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

Like silver lamps in a distant shrine,
The stars are sparkling bright;
The bells of the city of God ring out,
For the Son of Mary is born tonight.
The gloom is past,
And the morn at last
Is coming with orient light.

No earthly songs are half so sweet
As those which are filling the skies,
And never a palace shone half so fair
As the manger-bed where our Savior lies;
No night in the year
Is half so dear
As this which has ended our sighs.

The stars of heaven still shine as at first
They gleamed on this wonderful night;
The bells of the city of God peal out,
And the angels' song still rings in the height,
And love still turns
Where the Godhead burns,
Hid in flesh from fleshly sight.

Faith sees no longer the stable floor,
The pavement of sapphire is there,
The clear light of heaven streams out to the world,
And the angels of God are crowding the air,
And heaven and earth,
Through the spotless birth,
Are at peace on this night so fair.

Author: W. Chatterton Dix

Most British hymn writers in the nineteenth century were clergymen, but William C. Dix (b. Bristol, England, 1837; d. Cheddar, Somerset, England, 1898) was a notable exception. Trained in the business world, he became the manager of a marine insurance company in Glasgow, Scotland. Dix published various volumes of his hymns, such as Hymns of Love and Joy (1861) and Altar Songs: Verses on the Holy Eucharist (1867). A number of his texts were first published in Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861). Bert Polman… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Like silver lamps in a distant shrine
Title: The Silver Lamps
Author: W. Chatterton Dix (1867)
Meter: Irregular
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 43 of 43)
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Chapel Treasures (Christ Chapel Sabbath-School, Lebanon, PA) #333

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #c09

Hymnal for children #d136

In Excelsis for School and Chapel. l7th ed. #d139

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Songs of the Soul #93

St. Francis Hymnal and Choir Manual #d181

Sunday School Hymns and Tunes #d52

The American Hymnal for Chapel Service #d198

The Best Loved Hymns and Prayers of the American People #255

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The Book of Common Praise #743

The Hymnal for Schools #d98

The Oxford American Hymnal for Schools and Colleges #d179

The Oxford Hymn Book #66

The St. Alban Hymnal #d222

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The Sunday School Hymnal #C12

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Carols Old and Carols New #354

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Carols Old and Carols New #744

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Christmas Carols and Hymns #20

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Christmas Carols and Hymns #20

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Christmas Carols and Hymns #88

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Christmas Carols and Hymns #88

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Christmas Carols New and Old (First Series) #II

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Christmas Carols New and Old #2

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Christmas Carols New and Old #2

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Hymnal with Music for Children #225

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Hymnal with Music for Children #225

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The Church Hymnal #658

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The Helper in Sacred Song #170

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The New Hosanna #22

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The Parish School Hymnal #29

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Hymns of the Centuries #53

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Northfield Hymns for Young People #67

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In Excelsis for School and Chapel #76

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The Choral Hymnal #90

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The Hymnal for Schools #86

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The Packer Hymnal #86

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The American Hymnal for Chapel Service #108

The Book of Common Praise #740

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The Cyber Hymnal #4020

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The Hymnal #548

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The Morning Hour #108

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The Oxford Hymn Book #66

Exclude 42 pre-1979 instances
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