Come Down, O Love Divine
The text of "Come down, O Love divine" originated as an Italian poem, "Discendi amor santo" by the medieval mystic poet Bianco da Siena (1350-1399). The poem appeared in the 1851 collection "Laudi Spirituali del Bianco da Siena" of Telesforo Bini, and in 1861, the Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer Richard Frederick Littledale translated it into English. The first publication of the English version was in Littledale's 1867 hymn-book, "The People's Hymnal". For the hymn's publication in "The English Hymnal" of 1906, the hymnal's editor Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a tune, "Down Ampney", which he named after the Gloucestershire village of his birth. This publication established the hymn's widespread popularity. When Vaughan Williams died in 1958, "Come Down, O Love Divine" was sung at his funeral in Westminster Abbey as the composer's ashes were ceremonially interred in the Musicians' Corner. <poem>
Come down, O Love divine, 
seek thou this soul of mine, 
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing; 
O Comforter, draw near, 
within my heart appear, 
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing. O let it freely burn
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming. Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become my inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart
which takes the humbler part,
and o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing. And so the yearning strong
with which the soul will long
shall far surpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace
till we become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling. </poem> The following setting of the tune appears in The English Hymnal (1906):
<score vorbis="1">
\new Staff { \clef treble \time 4/4 \key d \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \omit Staff. TimeSignature \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \override Score. BarNumber #'transparent = ##t
 \relative c' 
 « { d2 e4 fis | a2 b | a1 \bar"||" | a2 b4 a | d( cis) b2 | a2 \breathe \bar"||" \break
 a2 | b4 a g fis | e d e fis8 g | e2 d\fermata \bar"||" | d' cis4 b | a2 b | a1 \bar"||" | \break
 c2 b4 a | g2 fis | e\fermata \bar"||" e | a4 b a g | fis d e fis8 g | e2 d\fermata \bar"|." } \\ 
 { a2 a4 d | d( cis) b( cis) | d1 | fis2 fis4 e | d( e) d2 | cis
 d2 | d4 cis d d | b d d d | d( cis) d2 | fis fis4 d | fis2 e4( d) | cis1
 e2 d4 d | b( cis) d2 | a cis | d4 d cis d8( e) | a,4 d d d | d( cis) d2 } »
\new Lyrics \lyricmode {
\new Staff { \clef bass \key d \major \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \omit Staff. TimeSignature
 \relative c
 « { fis2 a4 d, | e2 g4( e) | fis1 | a2 d,4 e | fis( a) a( gis) | a2
 fis2 | g4 e g a | g a b b | a4. ( g8) fis2 | b a4 b | d( cis) b2 | cis1
 g4( a) b fis | g2 a4( b) | cis2 a | a4 g e b' | a a b g | a4. ( g8) fis2 } \\
 { d2 cis4 d | a2 g | d'1 | d2 d4 cis | b( cis) e2 | a,
 d2 | g,4 a b d | g fis g e | a,2 d\fermata | b' fis4 g | d( fis) gis2 | a1 
 e4( fis) g d | e2 fis4( g) | a2\fermata a,4( g) | fis g a b8 cis | d4 fis g e | a,2 d\fermata } »
» »
</score>
History
"Come Down, O Love Divine" is a Christian hymn usually sung for the festival of Pentecost. It is a popular piece of Anglican church music and is commonly sung to the tune "Down Ampney" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.