Death to Life in Him

Death is to be my great enemy For in living I am to be The friend of life, and put to death That force that longs to steal my breath— Away! — away that hallowed hollow grave My ally, the stone that bears my name The one, oh would that I could fill That hole, that bowl of earth To swallow me down into his bowels. Let me dive down deep Into subterranean ground to hide And put me down to eternal sleep Away— from earth I’ll say my sweet goodbyes Goodnight black world, I say, I sink Into death’s bed with me to keep Covered in dirt to die. But there is one Greater Who holds my precious name Cradled in His holy core On mercy’s heart engraved My soul that pines for quiet death By Him is called to life again Came He to me, not I to Him And covered up my guilty shame Then said He, so tenderly to me “With nail-pierced hands I took the blame And cast unholy death down to your grave.” There in my place, his feeble frame That friend I thought I had. Now I know that I shall live In my Lord’s house eternally Bathed in no reflected glory But washed in light directly I see life in death no more But only my God’s love for me.