Waiting for Christ

Heir of the kingdom, O why dost thou slumber?

No. 866
Metre 11s & 10s.
Tune RODMAN.
Words Anon.
Music Lowell Mason.
Key B-flat major
Singing key B♭ major
Time 2/4
5 stanzas

Words

Heir of the kingdom, O why dost thou slumber?Why art thou sleeping so near thy blest home?Wake thee, arouse thee, and gird on thine armor,Speed, for the moments are hurrying on.

Heir of the kingdom, say, why dost thou linger?How canst thou tarry in sight of the prize?Up, and adorn thee, the Saviour is coming;Haste to receive him descending the skies.

Earth's mighty nations, in strife and commotion,Tremble with terror, and sink in dismay;Listen, 't is naught but the chariot's loud rumbling;Heir of the kingdom, no longer delay.

Stay not, O stay not for earth's vain allurements!See how its glory is passing away;Break the strong fetters the foe hath bound o'er thee;Heir of the kingdom, turn, turn thee away.

Keep the eye single, the head upward lifted;Watch for the glory of earth's coming King;Lo! o'er the mountain-tops light is now breaking;Heirs of the kingdom, rejoice ye and sing.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «WAITING FOR CHRIST—CLOSING WORK.» (top of p. 289); hymn number «866» (large), tune name «RODMAN. 11s & 10s.» centred over the music, «LOWELL MASON.» at the right (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is interlinear, between the staves, one line per system, with «1.» before «Heir»: «1. Heir of the kingdom, O why dost thou slumber? Why art thou sleeping so near thy blest home?» / «Wake thee, arouse thee, and gird on thine armor, Speed, for the moments are hur - ry - ing on.» Stanzas 2–5 are printed as text in two columns below the music (2–3 left, 4–5 right), under the reference line «1004, 714.» in italic figures (= the words may also be sung to the tunes of hymns 1004 or 714), numbered «2»–«5» without periods (written «2.»–«5.» here, as in the other deliveries of this book), followed by «Anon.» in italics. The long verse lines are broken for width in the print («why dost thou / linger ?», «com- / motion,», «loud / rumbling ;», «allure- / ments !», «bound / o'er thee ;», «now / breaking ;»); each verse line is one line here, and the words broken at the line end («com-motion», «allure-ments») are joined. The print sets a thin space before «? ; !» («linger ?», «coming ;»); it is closed up here. Apostrophes are written straight («Earth's», «'t is», «o'er»). Spelling («Saviour», «armor»), punctuation, capitals and the spaced «'t is» of stanza 3 are the print's.