Come, Thou Holy Paraclete

Come, Thou holy Paraclete,
And from Thy celestial seat
Send Thy light and brilliancy:
Father of the poor, draw near;
Giver of all gifts, be here;
Come, the soul’s true radiancy.

Come, of comforters the best,
Of the soul the sweetest guest,
Come in toil refreshingly:
Thou in labor rest most sweet,
Thou art shadow from the heat,
Comfort in adversity.

O Thou Light, most pure and blest,
Shine within the inmost breast
Of Thy faithful company.
Where Thou art not, man hath naught;
Every holy deed and thought
Comes from Thy divinity.

What is soilèd, make Thou pure;
What is wounded, work its cure;
What is parchèd, fructify;
What is rigid, gently bend;
What is frozen, warmly tend;
Strengthen what goes erringly.

Fill Thy faithful, who confide
In Thy power to guard and guide,
With Thy sevenfold mystery.
Here Thy grace and virtue send:
Grant salvation to the end,
And in Heav’n felicity.

Author: Unknown

Year: 12

This is an English translation of the medieval Latin hymn 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' (the 'Golden Sequence'), traditionally attributed to either Pope Innocent III (d. 1216) or Stephen Langton (d. 1228). The specific translation here (with archaic spellings like 'soilèd' and 'parchèd') is from an anonymous 19th-century translator, often associated with collections such as Hymns Ancient and Modern; no single widely credited author for these English words.