Brief Life Is Here Our Portion
Bernard of Cluny, c. 1145; tr. John M. Neale, 1851· Medieval
Verse 1
Brief life is here our portion,
Brief sorrow, short-lived care;
The life that knows no ending,
The tearless life, is there.
Verse 2
O happy retribution!
Short toil, eternal rest;
For mortals and for sinners
A mansion with the blest!
Verse 3
And now we fight the battle,
But then shall wear the crown
Of full and everlasting
And passionless renown;
Verse 4
And now we watch and struggle,
And now we live in hope,
And Zion in her anguish
With Babylon must cope;
Verse 5
But He, whom now we trust in,
Shall then be seen and known;
And they that know and see Him
Shall have Him for their own.
Verse 6
The morning shall awaken,
And shadows shall decay,
And each true-hearted servant
Shall shine as doth the day.
Verse 7
Yes, God, my King and Portion,
In fulness of His grace,
We then shall see for ever,
And worship face to face.
c. 1145; tr. John M. Neale Bernard of Cluny, 1851, “Brief Life Is Here Our Portion”