LOOK: Golden Binoculars by Namdoo Kim
LISTEN: “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night” | Words by John Bowring, 1825 | Music by Seth Thomas Crissman, 2016 | Performed by Seth Thomas Crissman and Rachel Yoder of The Walking Roots Band, 2016 (also on Hark! A Walking Roots Band Christmas, 2017)
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.Watchman, tell us of the night;
higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
see, it bursts o’er all the earth.Watchman, tell us of the night,
for the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, darkness takes it flight;
doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, let thy wanderings cease;
hie thee to thy quiet home.
Traveler, lo! the Prince of Peace,
lo! the Son of God is come!
Unfolding in alternating couplets, this nineteenth-century hymn from England presents a dialogue between a traveler and a watchman—that is, someone stationed at a vantage to look out for coming invasions or things out of the ordinary. The traveler asks the watchman what he sees and what its meaning is; the watchman responds that he sees a glorious star ascending up over the mountains, portending blessing and peace not just for the land of its rising but for all peoples. A beneficent invasion!
Lowell Mason wrote a tune specifically for this text in 1830, but I much prefer the newer one by The Walking Roots Band, featured above.
This post is part of a daily Advent series from December 2 to 24, 2023 (with Christmas to follow through January 6, 2024). View all the posts here, and the accompanying Spotify playlist here.
Art & Theology 