O Sing to Me of Heav’n

O sing to me of Heav’n
When I am called to die;
Sing songs of holy ecstasy,
To waft my soul on high.

When cold and sluggish drops
Roll off my marble brow,
Burst forth in strains of joyfulness,
Let Heav’n begin below.

When the last moment comes,
O watch my dying face,
And catch the bright seraphic gleam
Which on earth each feature plays.

Then to my ravished ear
Let one sweet song be giv’n;
Let music charm me last on earth,
And greet me first in Heav’n.

Author: Mary Dana Shindler

Year: 1840

Also known as Mary S. B. Dana; the hymn first appeared in her 1840 collection 'The Southern Harp'. Some later hymnals attribute it simply as 'American' or anonymous, but primary sources credit Shindler.