Come Down, O Love Divine (AOV 1/118)

This Victorian era translation (R F Littledale) of a 15th century text (Bianco do Sienna) with a tune by Ralph Vaughn Williams is a nice old hymn.

Listen to a stirring version here.

My backing is the usual BIAB church organ sound I’m afraid.

1.	Come down, O Love divine,
	seek thou this soul of mine,
	and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
	O Comforter, draw near,
	within my heart appear,
	and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing. 

2.	O let it freely burn,
	till earthly passions turn
	to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
	and let thy glorious light
	shine ever on my sight,
	and clothe me round, the while my path illuming. 

3.	And so the yearning strong,
	with which the soul will long,
	shall far outpass the power of human telling;
	for none can guess its grace,
	till Love create a place
	wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

© Oxford University Press