Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire;
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost Thy sev’nfold gifts impart.

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Praise to Thy eternal merit,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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

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Anoint and cheer our soilèd face
With the abundance of Thy grace;
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where Thou art Guide, no ill can come.

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

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Author: John Cosin

Year: 1627

This is an English metrical translation of the Latin hymn 'Veni Creator Spiritus'. John Cosin included his version in his 1627 Collection of Private Devotions; it remains the most widely sung English rendering. The original Latin text is traditionally attributed to Rabanus Maurus (9th century) or sometimes to Gregory the Great or Ambrose, but the English lyrics here are Cosin's work.