Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come
Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come. Latin, author uncertain, probably Stephen Langton* (d. 1228), translated by Edward Caswall* (1814-1878).
According to Frost, the author of this hymn, ‘Veni, Sancte Spiritus’*, may have been either Pope Innocent III (1161-1216) or Archbishop Stephen Langton (ca. 1150-1228), and Langton ‘appears the more probable’ (1962, p. 228). Recent editions of A&M, from A&MNS (1983) onwards, have accepted Langton as the author.
The translation was printed in Caswall’s Lyra Catholica (1849), where it began ‘Holy Spirit, Lord of Light’:
Holy Spirit! Lord of light!From thy clear celestial height, Thy pure beaming radiance give:
Come, Thou Father of the poor!Come,...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 22 Jan. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/c/come,-thou-holy-spirit,-come>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed January 22, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/c/come,-thou-holy-spirit,-come.