Jesu Hail! O God Most Holy

Jesu hail! O God most holy,
Gentle Lamb, an Infant lowly;
Born, great God, a human stranger,
Laid within the narrow manger:

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Might transcending, weakness blending,
Greatness bending from the sky;
Love unending, man befriending,
God most High, God most High.

To enrich my desolation,
To redeem me from damnation,
Wrapt in swathing bands Thou liest,
Thou in want and weakness sighest:

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Low abased, where brutes are sleeping,
God’s belovèd Son is weeping;
Judge supreme, true Godhead sharing,
Sinner’s likeness for us wearing!

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Jesu, Thine my heart is solely;
Draw it, take it to Thee wholly;
With Thy sacred fire illume me,
Let it inwardly consume me.

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Hence let idle fancies vanish,
Hence all evil passions banish;
Make me like Thyself in meekness,
Bind to Thee my human weakness,

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Author: Henry Williams Baker

Year: 1852

This is a translation/adaptation of the medieval Latin hymn 'Jesu, dulcis memoria' (or a related Christmas text). Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877) is the credited translator in 19th-century hymnals such as Hymns Ancient and Modern; the distinctive refrain 'Might transcending...' is characteristic of his version.