Forth from the dark and stormy sky

Representative Text

1 Forth from the dark and stormy sky,
Lord, to Thine altar's shade we fly;
Forth from the world, its hope and fear,
Saviour, we seek Thy shelter here:
Weary and weak, Thy grace we pray:
Turn not, O Lord! Thy guests away.

2 Long have we roamed in want and pain,
Long have we sought Thy rest in vain;
Wildered in doubt, in darkness lost,
Long have our souls been tempest-tost;
Low at Thy feet our sins we lay:;
Turn not, O Lord! Thy guests away.

Hymnal: according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, 1871

Author: Reginald Heber

Reginald Heber was born in 1783 into a wealthy, educated family. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After his graduation he became rector of his father's church in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked tirelessly for three years until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke. Most of his 57 hymns, which include "Holy, Holy, Holy," are still in use today. -- Greg Scheer, 1995… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Forth from the dark and stormy sky
Author: Reginald Heber (1807)
Meter: 8.8.8.8.8.8
Source: publ. 1827
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Forth from the dark and stormy sky. Bp. R. Heber. [Lent.] Appeared in his Hymns, &c, 1827, in 2 stanzas of 6 lines, and appointed for the 2nd Sunday after Trinity. It was also included in the 1842 edition of the same. The use of this hymn has been very varied. In the New Mitre, and Thring's Collection, it is appointed for "Holy Communion" (its claim thereto being evidently the second line of stanza i., "Lord, to Thine altar's shade we flee," and the concluding line of each stanza, "Turn not, O Lord, Thy guests away"); whilst in Kennedy it is given for "Passion Week," and in other collections for different seasons. In most cases the text is unaltered, as in Thring's Collection, 1882, No. 532. Its American use is extensive.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Notes

Forth from the dark and stormy sky. Bp. R. Heber. [Lent.] Appeared in his Hymns, &c, 1827, in 2 stanzas of 6 lines, and appointed for the 2nd Sunday after Trinity. It was also included in the 1842 edition of the same. The use of this hymn has been very varied. In the New Mitre, and Thring's Collection, it is appointed for "Holy Communion" (its claim thereto being evidently the second line of stanza i., "Lord, to Thine altar's shade we flee," and the concluding line of each stanza, "Turn not, O Lord, Thy guests away"); whilst in Kennedy it is given for "Passion Week," and in other collections for different seasons. In most cases the text is unaltered, as in Thring's Collection, 1882, No. 532. Its American use is extensive.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #1593
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (101 - 130 of 130)
Page Scan

The Evangelical Hymnal with Tunes #297

The Halifax Selection of Hymns #d125

Page Scan

The Hymnal #64a

TextPage Scan

The Hymnal #479

Page Scan

The Hymnal #64

Page Scan

The Hymnal #201

Page Scan

The Hymnary with Tunes #34

Page Scan

The Manual of Praise for Sabbath and Social Worship #53

The People's Praise Book or Carmina Sanctorum #d162

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #285

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #285

Page Scan

The Reformed Church Hymnal #566

Page Scan

The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #147a

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d252

Page Scan

The Sabbath School Hymn and Tune Book #4

The Sacred Lute #d92

The Sanctus #d68

The School Hymn Book #d14

The School Psalter #d73

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d221

The Service of Praise #d85

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d130

TextPage Scan

The Seventh-Day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book #754

Page Scan

The Smaller Hymnal #255

The Tabernacle Chorus #d44

Page Scan

The Tabernacle Chorus (Trinity ed.) #46

Page Scan

The Westminster Hymnal for congregational and social use and for the Sunday School #148

Page Scan

Vestry Harmonies #11a

TextAudioPage Scan

Wondrous Love #16

Pages

Exclude 129 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.