Waiting for Christ

I'm weary of staying; O when shall I rest

No. 864
Metre 11s.
Tune GOSHEN.
Words Anon.
Music German.
Key G major
Time 2/2
5 stanzas

Words

I'm weary of staying; O when shall I restIn that promised land of the good and the blest,Where sin can no longer her blandishments spread,Where tears and temptations forever are fled?

I'm weary of sighing o'er sorrows of earth,O'er joy's glowing visions that fade at their birth,O'er pangs for the loved which we cannot assuage,O'er blightings of youth and the weakness of age.

I'm weary of hoping, where hope is untrue,As fair but as fleeting as bright morning dew;I long for that land whose blest promise aloneIs changeless, and sure as eternity's throne.

I'm weary of loving what passes away;The sweetest and dearest, alas! may not stay:I long for that land where these partings are o'er,And death and the tomb can divide us no more!

O Jesus, my Saviour, when shall I beholdThat morning long promised by prophets of old,When sin's night of sorrow forever is past,And death's silent captives are ransomed at last?

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «WAITING FOR CHRIST—CLOSING WORK.»; hymn number «864» (large), tune name «GOSHEN. 11s.» centred over the music (condensed display capitals), «GERMAN.» at the right (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is interlinear, with «1.» before «I'm»: system 1 = verse line 1 and the start of line 2 («In that promised»), system 2 = the rest of line 2 and verse line 3; verse line 4 is printed in italics as a second line under m4–m9, preceded by «D. S.—» («D. S.—Where tears and temp-» under system 1, «ta - tions for - ev - er are fled?» under system 2), and is sung there after the «D. S.» at the end of system 2 (the music returns to the segno before «In» and ends at «Fine.» after «blest,» / «fled?»). Stanza 1 below is assembled in the order sung. «promised» is set unbroken under two notes; «Wheretears» and «herblandishmentsspread,» are printed with almost no word space (normal spaces here). Between the music and stanza 2 the italic reference line «511, 512.» (= the words may also be sung to the tunes of hymns 511 and 512). Stanzas 2–5 follow as text in the left column, numbered «2»–«5» without a full stop (numbered «2.» etc. here like stanza 1), then «Anon.» in italics. Lines too long for the column are broken and the run-over indented («at their / birth,», «cannot / assuage,», «weakness / of age.», «un- / true,», «morning / dew;», «promise / alone», «may not / stay:», «partings / are o'er,», «us no / more!», «prophets / of old,», «ransomed / at last?»); each verse line is joined here as one line, and «un- / true» is written whole («untrue»). The print sets a thin space before «;», «:», «!» and «?»; it is closed up here; apostrophes are written straight. Spelling («Saviour», «forever»), punctuation and capitals are the print's.