The Christian — Family Devotion

Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide

No. 568
Metre 10s.
Tune EVENTIDE.
Words Henry F. Lyte.
Music William H. Monk.
Key E-flat major
Singing key E♭ major
Time 4/4
4 stanzas

Words

Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide,The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,Help of the helpless, O abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;Change and decay in all around I see;O thou, who changest not, abide with me!

I need thy presence every passing hour;What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me!

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;Where is death's sting? where, grave, thy victory?I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «THE CHRISTIAN—FAMILY DEVOTION.»; hymn number «568» (large), tune name «EVENTIDE. 10s.» centred over the music (condensed capitals), «WILLIAM H. MONK.» at the right (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is set between the staves: «1. A - bide with me ! Fast falls the e - ventide, The darkness deepens ; Lord,with me a - bide !» under system 1 and «When oth - er help - ers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O a - bide with me !» under system 2. Stanzas 2–4 are printed as text in two columns: the left column holds the italic reference line «249, 100.» (= the same words may be sung to the tunes of hymns 249 or 100), stanza 2 and the first two lines of stanza 3; the right column holds the last two lines of stanza 3, stanza 4 and «Henry F. Lyte.» in italics. Stanzas are numbered «2», «3», «4» without periods (written «2.», «3.», «4.» here, as in the other deliveries of this book). The 10-syllable lines are too long for the column: six of them run over into an indented second line («pass / away ;», «tempter's / power ?», «can / be ?», «abide / with me !», «bitter- / ness ;», «grave, / thy victory ?»); each verse is written here as ONE line, and «bitter- / ness» (a word broken only by the line end) is joined. The print sets a thin space before «;», «!» and «?»; it is closed up here. Apostrophes are written straight.