O’er the Realms of Pagan Darkness

O’er the realms of pagan darkness,
Let the eye of pity gaze;
See the kindreds of the people
Lost in sin’s bewildering maze;
Darkness brooding
On the face of all the earth.

Thou to Whom all power is given,
Speak the word; at Thy command
Let the company of preachers
Spread Thy Name from land to land!
Lord, be with them
Alway to the end of time.

Author: William Williams Pantycelyn

Year: 1773

This is a lesser-known missionary hymn by the famous Welsh hymn-writer William Williams Pantycelyn (also known as Williams of Pantycelyn). It appears in some 18th- and 19th-century collections of his works or translations from his Welsh output; alternate attributions occasionally list it simply as 'Traditional Welsh' or anonymous, but the style, imagery, and historical sources point to Williams.