Hail, hail the risen Son!
Our mighty king today!
Answer, ye soldiers tried,
Whence gone His breathless clay?
And who has swept the stone
From guarded tomb away,
The mighty sealèd stone
From sepulcher away?
Why speechless, stubborn guard?
You must the truth abide;
Our Lord is ris’n to bless
This glorious Eastertide.

Tell, tell, old Roman, true
How fared you in the night?
Heard ye no fearful sound,
Saw ye no hosts of light?
For shame, thou faithless guard,
For terror sealed thy sight;
Hold peace, poor Roman guard,
You failed on watch last night.
Why speechless, stubborn guard,
You must the truth abide;
Our Lord is ris’n to bless
This glorious Eastertide.

Wake, wake, glad Easter winds,
And bear the news of cheer,
The prophecy is filled:
Tell them who yearn to hear.
For Christ is risen indeed,
Death’s shadows disappear,
The dawn has pierced the gloom
And banished doubt and fear.
Be glad, O spacious land,
Lift voice, ye ocean wide;
Come forth, all living things,
To hail blest Eastertide.