Bright Easter Skies

Bright East­er skies! Fair East­er skies!

Our Lord is ris’n; we

too

shall rise.

Nor walls of stone

hewn firm and cold

Nor Ro­man sol­diers

brave and bold;

Nor Sa­tan’s mar­shaled hosts could keep

The pierc­èd hands in death­ly sleep:

Just as the East­er day-beams dawn

Our bur­ied Lord is ris’n and gone.

Bright East­er skies! Fair East­er skies!

Our Lord is ris­en: We

too

shall rise.

Loud East­er bells! Rich East­er bells!

A ran­somed world your chim­ing tells.

Let hills and rocks your glad­ness peal

Behold the stone and brok­en seal!

Angels in white

from Heav­en’s bright way

The use­less clothes to­ge­ther lay;

Then sit se­rene

at head and feet

The ear­li­est saints with joys to greet.

Green East­er fields! Fair East­er fields!

Heaven’s first ripe fruit

Death

con­quered

yields.

In church­yards wide the seed we sow

Beneath the cross the wheat shall grow;

One East­er day death’s reign shall end

And gold­en sheaves shall heav’n­ward send.

Hail the blest morn

by whose glad light

Angels shall reap the har­vest white.

Sweet East­er flow­ers! White East­er flow­ers!

From Heav­en des­cend

life giv­ing show­ers.

Each plant that bloomed at Ed­en’s birth

Shall blow again o’er ran­somed earth.

Pluck li­lies rare and ros­es sweet

And strew the path of Je­sus’ feet;

Throw frag­rant palms be­fore our king

And wreathe the crown the saved shall bring.

O Christ­ian child! O Christ­ian men!

Our vic­tor Lord shall come again.

Wake we our hearts at His com­mand;

Lift we our love to His right hand;

With warm­est hopes

to East­er skies

Stretch we our arms

and fix our eyes;

Till in the clouds His sign we see

And quick and dead shout

Ju­bi­lee!