End Times
Day of Wrath, O Day of Mourning
- Words:
- Thomas of Celano, 13th Century. Translated by William J. Irons, 1848.
- Music:
- 'Dies Irae (Dykes)' John Bacchus Dykes, 1861.
- Setting:
- "Hymns Ancient and Modern", 1869.
- Metre:
- 8 8 8 8 8 8
- 1Day of wrath, O day of mourning!See fulfilled the prophet's warning,Heav'n and earth in ashes burning.Oh, what fear man's bosom rendethWhen from Heav'n the Judge descendethOn whose sentence all dependeth!
- 2Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth,Through earth's sepulchers it ringeth,All before the throne it bringeth.Death is struck and nature quaking;All creation is awaking,To its Judge an answer making.
- 3Lo, the book, exactly worded,Wherein all hath been recorded;Thence shall judgment be awarded.When the Judge His seat attainethAnd each hidden deed arraigneth,Nothing unavenged remaineth.
- 4What shall I, frail man, be pleading?Who for me be intercedingWhen the just are mercy needing?King of majesty tremendous,Who dost free salvation send us,Fount of pity, then befriend us.
- 5Think, good Jesus, my salvationCaused Thy wondrous incarnation;Leave me not to reprobation!Faint and weary Thou hast sought me,On the cross of suff'ring bought me;Shall such grace be vainly brought me?
- 6Righteous Judge, for sin's pollutionGrant Thy gift of absolutionEre that day of retribution!
- 7Guilty, now I pour my moaning,All my shame with anguish owning:Spare, O God, Thy suppliant groaning!
- 8From that sinful woman shriven,From the dying thief forgiven,Thou to me a hope hast given.
- 9Worthless are my prayers and sighing;Yet, good Lord, in grace complying,Rescue me from fires undying.
- 10With Thy favored sheep, oh, place me!Nor among the goats abase me,But to Thy right hand upraise me.
- 11While the wicked are confounded,Doomed to flames of woe unbounded,Call me, with Thy saints surrounded.
- 12Low I kneel with heart submission, See, like ashes,my contrition; Help me in my last condition!
- 13Day of sorrow, day of weeping, When, in dust nolonger sleeping, Man awakes in Thy dread keeping!
Scripture
Topics
In the hymnals
- The words are in 112 hymnals indexed by Hymnary.org. Their history →
- The tune, Dies Irae (Dykes), is in 19 hymnals. The tune →
Words, music and setting are in the public domain. The score is from the Open Hymnal Project (Brian J. Dumont), which places its own work in the public domain. The piano is the FluidR3 General MIDI sound font (MIT licence). How many hymnals print a hymn, and when it was written, is from Hymnary.org.