Watchman, Tell Us Of The Night
Watchman, Tell Us of the Night
Watchman, tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
Traveler, o’er yon mountain’s height
See that glory-beaming star!
Watchman, doth its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope foretell?
Traveler, yes; it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.
Watchman, tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
Peace and truth, its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, it bursts o’er all the earth!
Watchman, tell us of the night,
For the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, darkness takes its flight;
Doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, let thy wandering cease;
Hide thee to thy quiet home!
Traveler, lo, the Prince of Peace,
Lo, the Son of God is come!
THIS IS AN UNUSUAL HYMN from an unusual man. John Bowring was a brilliant linguist, scholar, and politician. In later life he became an extremely unpopular British governor of Hong Kong. Here he displays his flair for poetry.
The hymn is unusual in that it shows more than it tells. Most hymns tell things about the nature of God or about personal experience or about how to live. Bowring himself did that sort of thing in his hymn “In the Cross of Christ I Glory” (March 26). This hymn, in contrast, offers a single image and builds it for dramatic effect.
Bowring borrows the watchman from an obscure reference in Isaiah. The watchman, perhaps representing the longing soul, perhaps the watchful wise men, or perhaps the prophet himself, watches for the coming of the day as heralded by the morning star.
“Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?” The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.”
Isaiah 21:11-12
From the book
