COME HOLY GHOST, OUR SOULS INSPIRE

A HYMN FOR WHITSUNDAY 

1 Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire;
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart:

2 Thy blessèd unction from above
Is comfort, life, and fire oflove;
Enable with perpetual light
The dullness of our blinded sight:

3 Anoint and cheer our soiled face
With the abundance of thy grace:
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where thou art guide no ill can come.

4 Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And thee, of both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This may be our endless song,

5 Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            By Rabanus Maurus, 8th-9th cent.; translated by John Cosin, 1627