Words: At­trib­ut­ed to , 4th Cen­tu­ry (Au­ro­ra jam spar­git po­lum); trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by , 1849.

Music: Ware­ham, , 1738.


The dawn is sprinkling in the east
Its golden shower, as day flows in;
Fast mount the pointed shafts of light:
Farewell to darkness and to sin!

Away, ye midnight phantoms all!
Away, despondence and despair!
Whatever guilt the night has brought
Now let it vanish into air.

So, Lord, when that last morning breaks,
Looking to which we sigh and pray,
O may it to Thy minstrels prove
The dawning of a better day.

To God the Father glory be,
And to His sole begotten Son;
Glory, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
While everlasting ages run.