Haste, traveler, haste! the night comes on,
And many a shining hour is gone;
The storm is gathering in the west,
And thou art from home and rest.
O far from home thy footsteps stray;
Christ is the life, and Christ the way,
And Christ the light; thy setting sun
Sinks ere thy morning is begun.
Awake, awake! pursue thy way
With steady course, while yet ’tis day;
While thou art sleeping on the ground,
Danger and darkness gather round.
The rising tempest sweeps the sky;
The rains descend, the winds are high;
The waters swell, and death and fear
Beset thy path, nor refuge near.
O yes! a shelter you may gain,
A covert from the wind and the rain,
A hiding-place a rest, a home,
A refuge from the wrath to come.
Then linger not in all the plain,
Flee for thy life, the mountain gain;
Look not behind, make no delay,
O speed thee, speed thee on thy way!
Poor, lost, benighted soul! art thou
Wiling to find salvation now?
There yet is hope; hear mercy’s call:
Truth! Life! Light! Way! in Christ is all!