Christ — First Advent

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning

No. 298
Metre 11s & 10s.
Tune HANOVER.
Words Reginald Heber.
Music Johann C. W. A. Mozart.
Key D major
Singing key B♭ major
Time 2/4
4 stanzas

Words

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid;Star of the east, the horizon adorning,Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.

Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining;Low lies his head with the beasts of the stall;Angels adore him, in slumber reclining,—Maker, and Monarch, and Saviour of all.

Say, shall we yield him, in costly devotion,Odors of Edom and offerings divine?Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,Myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine?

Vainly we offer each ample oblation,Vainly with gifts would his favor secure;Richer by far is the heart's adoration,Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «CHRIST—FIRST ADVENT.»; hymn number «298» (large), tune name «HANOVER. 11s & 10s.» centred over the music (condensed capitals and small capitals), «JOHANN C. W. A. MOZART.» at the right (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is interlinear, between the staves, one line per system, with «1.» before «Brightest»; under the staves only «ho-ri - zon» and «Re - deem - er» are hyphenated, the rest is set as running words. Stanzas 2–4 are printed as text in two columns directly below the music (stanza 2 and the first two verses of stanza 3 in the left column, the last two verses of stanza 3 and stanza 4 in the right), with no reference line and with the stanza numbers «2», «3», «4» without a period. «Reginald Heber.» in italics after stanza 4. The print sets a thin space before «;» and «?» («aid ;», «shining ;», «stall ;», «divine ?», «mine ?», «secure ;»); it is closed up here. The apostrophe of «heart's» is written straight. The long eleven- and ten-syllable verses are broken by the narrow column («shin- / ing;», «the / stall;», «the / ocean,», «from / the mine?», «se- / cure;», «the / poor.»); they are joined here, one verse per line («shining», «secure» as one word). Spelling («Saviour», «Odors», «favor»), punctuation and capitals are the print's.