Adventist Pioneer Library

The Christian — Hymns for Social Worship

How tedious and tasteless the hours

  • No. 506
  • Words John Newton.
  • 3 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

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1

How tedious and tasteless the hoursWhen Jesus no longer I see!Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers,Have all lost their sweetness to me;The midsummer sun shines but dim,The fields strive in vain to look gay;But when I am happy in him,December 's as pleasant as May.

2

His name yields the richest perfume,And sweeter than music his voice;His presence disperses my gloom,And makes all within me rejoice:I should, were he always thus nigh,Have nothing to wish or to fear;No mortal so happy as I,My summer would last all the year.

3

My Lord, if indeed I am thine,If thou art my Sun and my Song,Say, why do I languish and pine?And why are my winters so long?O drive these dark clouds from my sky,Thy soul-cheering presence restore;Or take me to thee up on high,Where winter and clouds are no more.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «506» (large) at the head of the right column of p. 165, under the music of hymn 505 CONTRAST, with NO reference line (no tune numbers are printed for this hymn; the text has the meter of CONTRAST, 8s. D., printed directly above it); it ends at the foot of the column with «John Newton.» in italics (the «J» in the italic swash form). Stanzas numbered «1», «2», «3» without a full stop (numbered «1.» etc. here). Lines 2, 4, 6, 8 of each stanza are indented in the print. Stanza 1, line 3 is broken by the column width («Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet» / «flowers,» on an indented turn-line) and is joined here. «December 's» is set with a space before the apostrophe and is kept so; «up on high» is printed as two words. The print sets a thin space before «!», «;», «:» and «?» («see !», «me ;», «rejoice :», «pine ?»); it is closed up here. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's.

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
The Christian — Hymns for Social Worship · No. 506 · printed page 165
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-10-01