Scripture Verse

My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36

Introduction

portrait
Percy Dearmer
1867–1936

Words: Cae­li­us Se­du­li­us, cir­ca 450 (Hos­tis He­rod­es im­pie). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Per­cy Dear­mer in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906).

Music: St. Ve­nan­ti­us Rou­en church me­lo­dy (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Se­du­li­us (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

illustration
Turning Water to Wine
Carl H. Bloch
1834–1890

Lyrics

Why, impious Herod, shouldst thou fear
Because the Christ is come so near?
He who doth heavenly kingdoms grant
Thine earthly realm can never want.

Lo, sages from the East are gone
To where the star hath newly shone:
Led on by light to Light they press,
And by their gifts their God confess.

The Lamb of God is manifest
Again in Jordan’s water blest,
And He who sin had never known
By washing hath our sins undone.

Yet He that ruleth everything
Can change the nature of the spring,
And gives at Cana this for sign—
The water reddens into wine.

Then glory, Lord, to Thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory through eternity
To Father, Son, and Spirit be.