O Sacred head, Now Wounded

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Attr. Bernard of Clairvaux, trans. by
Paul Gerhardt and James Alexander,
melody by Jans Leo Hassler.  Public Domain.

O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame bow'd down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.
    
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain:
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love for Thee.

Be near me when I'm dying,
O show Thy cross to me;
And to my succor flying
Come, Lord, and set me free.
These eyes new faith receiving,
From Jesus shall not move;
For he, who dies believing,
Dies safely through Thy love.

This page is maintained by Jim Cheng. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Last updated on: February 12, 1998.