Born: June 1, 1793, Ed­nam, Scot­land.

Died: No­vem­ber 20, 1847, Nice, France.

Buried: Eng­lish Cem­e­tery, Nice, France.

Orphaned at an early age, Lyte at­tend­ed Trin­i­ty Coll­ege in Dub­lin, Ire­land, dis­ting­uish­ing him­self in Eng­lish po­e­try. In 1815, he was or­dained, and served a num­ber of par­ish­es in Ire­land and west­ern Eng­land. How­e­ver, for most of his ca­reer, he was pas­tor at All Saints Church in Lower Brix­ham, De­vons­hire, Eng­land. He wrote two books of re­li­gious po­e­try and hymns:

Sources

ERE THE NIGHT FALL
By Henry F. Lyte

Why do I sigh to find
Life’s evening shadows gathering round my way,
The keen eye dimming, and the buoyant mind
Unhinging day by day?

I want not vulgar fame—
I seek not to survive in brass or stone!
Hearts may not kindle when they hear my name,
Nor tears my value own:

But might I leave be­hind
Some blessing for my fellows, some fair trust
To guide, to cheer, to elevate my kind,
When I am in the dust;

Might verse of mine inspire
One virtuous aim, one high resolve impart,
Light in one drooping soul a hallowed fire,
Or bind one broken heart;

Death would be sweeter then,
More calm my slumber ’neath the silent sod—
Might I thus live to bless my fellow-men,
Or glorify my God!

O Thou whose touch can lend
Life to the dead, Thy quickening grace supply,
And grant me, swanlike, my last breath to spend
In song that may not die!

Hymns

  1. Abide with Me
  2. Above Me Hangs the Silent Sky
  3. Again, O Lord, I Ope Mine Eyes
  4. Be Merciful to Us, O God
  5. Blest Is the Man Who Knows the Lord
  6. Blest Is the Man Whose Spirit Shares
  7. Church of God Below, The
  8. Far from My Heavenly Home
  9. From Depths of Woe to God I Cry
  10. Gently, Gently Lay Thy Rod
  11. Glorious Shepherd of the Sheep
  12. Glory and Praise to Jehovah on High
  13. God in His Church Is Known
  14. God Is Our Refuge, Tried and Proved
  15. God of Mercy, God of Grace
  16. Great Source of All My Being
  17. Hail to Another Year
  18. Hear, O Lord, Our Supplica­tion
  19. How Blest the Man Who Fears the Lord
  20. How Good, How Faithful, Lord, Art Thou
  21. Humble, Lord, My Haughty Spirit
  22. In Tears and Trials We Must Sow
  23. In This Wide, Weary World of Care
  24. In Vain the powers of Darkness Try
  25. Jehovah Speaks, Let Man Be Awed
  26. Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
  27. Judge Me, O Lord, and Try My Heart
  28. Judge Me, O Lord, to Thee I Fly
  29. Leaves Around Me Falling, The
  30. Lone Amidst the Dead and Dying
  31. Long Did I Toil
  32. Lord God of My Salvation
  33. Lord Hath Builded for Himself, The
  34. Lord, I Have Sinned, but O Forgive
  35. Lord, I Look to Thee for All
  36. Lord, I Would Stand with Thoughtful Eye
  37. Lord Is King, Let Earth Be Glad, The
  38. Lord Is on His Throne, The
  39. Lord Is Our Refuge, The
  40. Lord, My God, in Thee I Trust
  41. Lord of the Realms Above
  42. Lord Who Died on Earth for Men, The
  43. Mercies of My God and King, The
  44. My God, My King, Thy Praise I Sing
  45. My God, What Monuments I See
  46. My Rest Is in Heaven
  47. My Spirit on Thy Care
  48. My Trust Is in the Lord
  49. Not unto Us, Almighty Lord
  50. O God of Glory, God of Grace
  51. O God of Love, How Blest Are They
  52. O God of Love, My God Thou Art
  53. O God of Truth and Grace
  54. O Had I, My Savior, the Wings of a Dove
  55. O How Blest the Congregation
  56. O How Safe and Happy He
  57. O Lord, How Infinite Thy Love
  58. O Plead My Cause, My Savior Plead
  59. O Praise the Lord, ’Tis Sweet to Raise
  60. O Praise the Lord; Ye Nations, Pour
  61. O Praise Ye the Lord with Heart
  62. O That the Lord’s Salva­tion
  63. O Thou Whom Thoughtless Men Condemn
  64. Of Every Earthly Stay Bereft
  65. Omniscient God, Thy Eye Divine
  66. Our Hearts Shall Praise Thee, God of Love
  67. Pilgrims Here on Earth, and Strangers
  68. Pleasant Are Thy Courts Above
  69. Praise for Thee, Lord, in Zion Waits
  70. Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
  71. Praise the Lord, God’s Glories Show
  72. Praise to God on High Be Given
  73. Praise Ye the Lord, His Servants, Raise
  74. Redeemed from Guilt, Redeemed from Fears
  75. Save Me by Thy Glorious Name
  76. Shout, Ye People, Clap Your Hands
  77. Sing to the Lord Our Might
  78. Strangers and Pilgrims Here Below
  79. Sweet Is the Solemn Voice That Calls
  80. There Is a Safe and Secret Place
  81. Thy Promise, Lord, Is Perfect Peace
  82. ’Tis a Pleasant Thing to See
  83. Unto Thee I Lift Mine Eyes
  84. Vain Were All Our Toil and Labor
  85. When at Thy Footstool, Lord, I Bend
  86. When Earthly Joys Glide Swift Away
  87. Whom Shall We Love like Thee?
  88. Wilt Thou Return to Me, O Lord
  89. With Joy We Hail the Sac­red Day