Hymns

Come Down, O Love Divine

Words: Bianco da Siena, Richard Frederick Littledale Jr. · Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams · 1434

Verse 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.

Verse 2
Oh, 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.

Verse 3
Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing.
True lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

Verse 4
And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the pow'r of human telling.
For none can guess its grace,
till they become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit finds a dwelling.

Words: Bianco da Siena, d. 1434; tr. Richard Frederick Littledale Jr., 1867 | Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906

Psalm 51; John 14; 2 Corinthians 4; Galatians 5; Ephesians 3; 1 Peter 5

Holy Spirit as Comforter · Holy Spirit, Illumination of · Pentecost