O Light Serene of Heavenly Birth
No night shall chase
Thy beams from earth,
Nor clouds pursue.
Eternal day, where Thou dost shine
Illumes the hallowed place,
And souls reflect Thy light divine,
O Lord of Grace.
O, from Thy dazzling throne come down,
To gild our darkness here,
And rend the clouds that threatening frown,
And chase our fear.
Unfading in our souls abide,
To give more beauties rare,
Than paint the earth in Summer time
When flowers are there.
O Christ, our Lord, here clouds obscure,
And beauty fades from sight;
But bring us where Thy joys endure,
In lasting light.
~ from Russian Church Hymns by John Brownlie
