What comfort at thy death (John Sheppard)
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- (Posted 2025-01-26) CPDL #83567:
- Editor: Jason Smart (submitted 2025-01-26). Score information: A4, 7 pages, 156 kB Copyright: CC BY NC ND
- Edition notes: Edited from London, British Library MS R.M. 24.d.2. Original pitch and note values retained.
General Information
Title: What comfort at thy death
Composer: John Sheppard
Lyricist:
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: SATB
Genre: Sacred, Partsong
Language: English
Instruments: A cappella
First published:
Description: Two three-part verses, probably extracted from a longer composition, perhaps in five or six parts, about the martyrdom of St Stephen.
External websites:
Original text and translations
English text
What comfort at thy death, holy Stephen,
was it to see heaven open
and Christ there standing up to receive thee.
He saw Christ standing up at his father's right hand,
as ready not only him to help,
but in each land all those
that for his faith suffer any torment
by stoning, by fire, by sword, or other enforcement
and likewise as ready to strike and to destroy them all
that his faithful persecuteth to death or thrall,
the cruel to cast down to the fire infernal,
the meek men to lift up to glory eternal.
Death thus to suffer for Christ
when cause thereto shall call
is an especial gift given to few men and not to all,
but our enemies to forgive and for them thus to pray
is to all us Christians necessary alway:
without which charity to heaven
no man may come by no kind of sufferance,
though it be martyrdom.
Keep we then Christ his faith
and follow Stephen's charity
if we will see heaven open
and there behold the Deity.