Day Is Dying in the West

Hymn lyrics and .mp3 Download

Listen to:
  Day Is Dying in the West (.midi)
  Day Is Dying in the West (.mp3)
  Day Is Dying in the West Bells Version (.mp3)

---

1. Day is dying in the west; heaven is touching earth with rest; wait and worship while the night sets the evening lamps alight through all the sky.

Refrain: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts! Heaven and earth are full of thee! Heaven and earth are praising thee, O Lord most high!

2. Lord of life, beneath the dome of the universe, thy home, gather us who seek thy face to the fold of thy embrace, for thou art nigh. (Refrain)

3. While the deepening shadows fall, heart of love enfolding all, through the glory and the grace of the stars that veil thy face, our hearts ascend. (Refrain)

4. When forever from our sight pass the stars, the day, the night, Lord of angels, on our eyes let eternal morning rise and shadows end. (Refrain)

Words by: Mary A. Lathbury
Music by: William F. Sherwin

---

Story of the hymn Day Is Dying In The West

Mary Lathbury was born on August 10, 1841, in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, into a deeply religious Methodist family—her father and brothers were ministers. She was a talented artist and teacher of art and French, and she also wrote extensively for religious periodicals. She became known as the "Poet Laureate" or "Saint of Chautauqua" for her contributions to the movement.

She had a strong sense of calling to dedicate her artistic and poetic gifts to God. One attributed quote captures a pivotal moment: God telling her to consecrate her abilities in weaving fancies into verse and producing visions with her pencil. She later served as general editor of materials for the Methodist Sunday School.

The Chautauqua Movement and the Hymn's Origin

The hymn originated in the context of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (or Chautauqua movement), a popular 19th-century summer adult education and religious/cultural camp on the shores of Lake Chautauqua in New York. Founded in 1874 by Dr. (later Bishop) John H. Vincent and others, it started as training for Sunday school teachers but grew into a broader program of lectures, music, recreation, and worship that attracted thousands.

In the summer of 1877, Dr. Vincent asked Lathbury to write a "Vesper Song" (evening hymn) for the closing services at the camp. Inspired by the beautiful sunsets over Lake Chautauqua, she composed the first two stanzas while observing the scene. William Fiske Sherwin (who was involved with the music at Chautauqua) composed the tune CHAUTAUQUA (also called EVENING PRAISE) specifically for her text.

The hymn debuted that same year during an evening gathering. Accounts describe a moving performance where a choir sang from boats on the lake, with Sherwin singing a solo and conducting as about 2,000 people listened at sunset.

Lathbury later added two more stanzas around 1890 at the request of friends. The full hymn was published in various hymnals starting in the late 1870s/1880s and became widely used beyond Chautauqua, especially in Methodist circles and evening worship services.

---