Day is Done, But Love Unfailing (James Quinn)

1. Day is done, but love unfailing
Dwells ever here;
Shadows fall, but hope, prevailing,
Calms every fear.
Loving Father, none forsaking,
Take our hearts, of Love’s own making,
Watch our sleeping, guard our waking,
Be always near.

2. Dark descends, but light unending
Shines through our night;
You are with us, ever lending
New strength to sight:
One in love, your truth confessing,
One in hope of heaven’s blessing,
May we see, in love’s possessing,
Love’s endless light!

3. Eyes will close, but you unsleeping
Watch by our side;
Death may come, in love’s safekeeping
Still we abide
God of love, all evil quelling,
Sin forgiving, fear dispelling,
Stay with us, our hearts indwelling,
This eventide.

Text: James Quinn (b. 1919)
Tune: AR HYD Y NOS 84.84.884 

When the night becomes dark (Taizé)

When the night becomes dark,
Your love, O Lord, is a fire;
Your love, O Lord, is a fire.

Music: Jacques Berthier (English bio) (French bio)

See my other blog postings in the "Taizé" series of chants.

Official Taizé Community Website

Wikipedia information on the Taizé Community
- in French
- in English

Stay with us O Lord Jesus Christ (Taizé)

See also the original version (in German): Bleib mit deiner Gnabe

Music: Jacques Berthier (English bio) (French bio)

See my other blog postings in the "Taizé" series of chants.

Official Taizé Community Website

Wikipedia information on the Taizé Community
- in French
- in English

Bleib mit deiner Gnade (Taizé)

See also the English version: Stay with us O Lord Jesus Christ

Music: Jacques Berthier (English bio) (French bio)

See my other blog postings in the "Taizé" series of chants.

Official Taizé Community Website

Wikipedia information on the Taizé Community
- in French
- in English

De noche (Taizé)

See my other blog postings in the "Taizé" series of chants.

Official Taizé Community Website

Wikipedia information on the Taizé Community
- in French
- in English

Evening Hymn (Henry Balfour Gardiner)

Te lucis ante terminum,
Rerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut pro tua clementia,
Sis praesul et custodia.

Procul recedant somnia,
Et noctium phantasmata:
Hostemque nostrum comprime,
Ne polluantur corpora.

Praesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Regnans per omne saeculum.

To thee before the close of day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That, with thy wonted favour, thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.

From all ill dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Withhold from us our ghostly foe,
That spot of sin we may not know.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.

Historical Background

Text: Latin, 8th-9th century
Music: Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877-1950)

Now the Day is Over

1. Now the day is over,
   Night is drawing nigh,
   Shadows of the evening
   Steal across the sky.
   


2. Jesus, give the weary
   Calm and sweet repose;
   With Thy tend’rest blessing
   May mine eyelids close.


3. Grant to little children
   Visions bright of Thee;
   Guard the sailors tossing
   On the deep, blue sea.


4. Comfort those who suffer,
   Watching late in pain;
   Those who plan some evil
   From their sin restrain.


5. Through the long night watches
   May Thine angels spread
   Their white wings above me,
   Watching round my bed.


6. When the morning wakens,
   Then may I arise
   Pure, and fresh, and sinless
   In Thy holy eyes.

Composer: Joseph Barnby (1868)

O Lord, Support Us

O Lord, support us all the day long,
until the shadows lengthen,
and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then in thy mercy,
grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest,
and peace at the last.
Amen.

God That Madest Earth And Heaven

God, that madest earth and heaven,
darkness and light;
who the day for toil hast given,
for rest the night;
may thine angel guards defend us,
slumber sweet thy mercy send us;
holy dreams and hopes attend us,
all through the night.

Guard us waking, guard us sleeping,
and when we die,
may we in thy mighty keeping
all peaceful lie;
when the last dread call shall wake us,
do not thou, our God, forsake us,
but to reign in glory take us
with Thee on high.

Text: v.1: Reginald Heber (1827), v.2: Richard Whately (1838)
Tune: AR HYD Y NOS 84.84.884

Nyne Otpushchaeshi Raba Tvoego Vladyko (Nunc Dimittis) (Russia)

NYNE OTPUSHCHAYESHI RABA TVOEGO, VLADYKO

Nyne Otpushchaeshi raba Tvoego, Vladyko,
po glagolu Tvoyemu s mirom:
yako videsta ochi moi spaseniye Tvoye,
ezhe esi ugotoval pred litsem vsekh lyudei,
svet vo otkrovenie yazykov, i slavu lyudei Tvoikh Izrailya.

English Translation (Book of Common Prayer, 1662):
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Taken from Sergei Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil

Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1915)

Nunc Dimittis (Latin)

Nunc Dimittis (Canticle of Simeon)

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Background historical information

Words: Luke 2:29–32