Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying
The king of chorales, written in a plague year by a pastor burying his own parish.
The words
In church you’ll sing updated words from hymn 436. These are the older words, and most lines are the same.
Wake, awake, for night is flying, The watchmen on the heights are crying: Awake, Jerusalem, at last! Midnight hears the welcome voices, And at the thrilling cry rejoices: Come forth, ye virgins, night is past! The Bridegroom comes, awake, Your lamps with gladness take; Hallelujah! And for His marriage feast prepare, For ye must go to meet Him there.
Zion hears the watchmen singing, And all her heart with joy is springing; She wakes, she rises from her gloom; For her Lord comes down all-glorious, The Strong in grace, in truth Victorious, Her Star is risen, her Light is come! Ah, come, Thou blessèd Lord! O Jesus, Son of God, Hallelujah! We follow till the halls we see Where Thou hast bid us sup with Thee.
Now let all the heavens adore Thee, And men and angels sing before Thee, With harp and cymbal's clearest tone; Of one pearl each shining portal, Where we are with the choir immortal Of angels round Thy dazzling throne; Nor eye hath seen, nor ear Hath yet attained to hear What there is ours; But we rejoice, and sing to Thee Our hymn of joy eternally.
As printed in Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), no. 5. Public domain: free to print, copy and share.
Old words in this hymn
- Thee, Thou
- you (speaking to one person, often to God)
- Thy, Thine
- your, yours
- Ye
- you (speaking to several people)
- Hath, Hast
- has, have
- Alleluia
- a Hebrew word of praise to God
- Zion
- Jerusalem; in hymns, God’s people
About this hymn
Nicolai wrote this while burying parishioners in numbers he recorded himself. It is not a sentimental hymn and it was never meant to be a comfortable one.
The text is the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids: a cry at midnight, lamps lit in a hurry, a door that eventually shuts. The tune climbs. It genuinely does sound like something waking up.
Bach built a whole cantata on it. Most congregations meet it at the end of Advent, or at a funeral, where its subject turns out to be exactly right.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Philipp Nicolai, 1599 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | Catherine Winkworth, 1858 | Public domain |
| Tune | WACHET AUF · Philipp Nicolai, 1599 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), no. 5, via hymnary.org page scan (p. 331) and transcription; cross-checked word for word against Church Book (General Council; 1890 printing), no. 580, hymnary.org page scan (p. 427 of the book)
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.