Lead Kindly Light

Pray with the famous words first written by St John Henry Newman in 1833

St John Henry Newman

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, –
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene, – one step enough for me.
It was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path, but now
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have lov’d long since, and lost awhile.


Lead Kindly Light can be found in Newman: His Life and Works and A Newman Prayerbook.

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