Softly now the light of day
Softly now the light of day. George Washington Doane* (1799-1859).
First published in Doane’s Songs by the Way, Chiefly Devotional (1824). It is based on Psalm 141: 2, ‘Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.’ It is notable for its superb simplicity:
Softly now the light of dayFades upon my sight away;Free from care, from labour free,Lord, I would commune with Thee.
Thou, Whose all-pervading eyeNought escapes, without, within,Pardon each infirmity, Open fault, and secret sin.
Soon, for me, the light of dayShall for ever pass away;Then from sin and sorrow free,Take me, Lord, to dwell with Thee:
Thou, Who sinless, yet hast...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Softly now the light of day."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 13 Jul. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/s/softly-now-the-light-of-day>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Softly now the light of day."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed July 13, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/s/softly-now-the-light-of-day.