The night’s the glory of the dawn
As dawn’s the glory of the night.
As woman is a man’s fair crown,
So fair-crowned man is woman’s wreath.
Great strength’s the laurel of the youth,
And hoary hair is to the old
What wrinkles are to joy; the truth
Revealed, a sign of something seen
By few, but true, and good, and sweet.
The dawn precedes night and night,
The dawn, and yet they never meet;
For day outspreads itself between
Them. We are night, the Lord, the dawn,
And Christ, the day, who stands between—
Yet through His intercession’s drawn
Aside God’s fury, cast our guilt
As far away as Eden’s bowers,
And freely given us Himself.
Now we are His, His glory, ours;
Like night’s both dawn’s and dawn’s glory.
What joy, to be God’s ornament!
To call His crown our own, and in
That endless Day whom Heaven sent
To know one day we shall meet Dawn.
