Above the starry spheres

Above the starry spheres. Edward Caswall* (1814-1875).  This translation of ‘Iam Christus astra ascenderat’ was made by Caswall for his Lyra Catholica (1849). It was placed there for Matins on Whit-Sunday. It was a hymn of nine 4-line stanzas, the last of which was a doxology. The previous eight stanzas were a succinct narrative of the events of the first Whit-Sunday, beginning with the reminder that this came ten days after Ascension Day - ‘Above the starry spheres,/ To where He was before,/ Christ had gone up...’.  The compilers of the First Edition of A&M used it, with alterations, which were most noticeable in stanzas 7 and 8:                                 Caswall...