Watchman tell us of the night
Watchman tell us of the night. John Bowring*. The text, based on Isaiah 21:11-12, that first appeared in the poet’s Hymns (London, 1825), ‘captures a conversation between a traveler and watchman, and is filled with imagery suggestive of the oriental cities with which its author was familiar’ (‘TS’ in Glover, 1994), as seen in stanzas 1 and 2:
Watchman, tell us of the night, what its signs of promise are? Traveler, o’er yon mountain’s height, see that glory beaming star!
Watchman, does its beauteous ray aught of joy or hope foretell? Traveler, yes—it brings the day,promised day of Israel...
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Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Watchman tell us of the night."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed April 10, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/w/watchman-tell-us-of-the-night.