Beyond the Sunset’s Radiant Glow (Beyond the Sunset)
By: Josephine Pollard (1834-1892)
http://youtu.be/z_9PMcD5WBQ
1 Beyond the sunset’s radiant glow
There is a brighter world, I know,
Where golden glories ever shine,
Beyond the thought of day’s decline.
Refrain:
Beyond the sunset’s radiant glow,
There is a brighter world, I know;
Beyond the sunset I may spend
Delightful days that never end.
2 Beyond the sunset’s purple rim,
Beyond the twilight, deep and dim,
Where clouds and darkness never come,
My soul shall find its heav’nly home. [Refrain]
3 Beyond the desert, dark and drear,
The golden city will appear;
And morning’s lovely beams arise
Upon my mansion in the skies. [Refrain]
Josephine Pollard wrote many children’s books. Her “words of one syllable” biographies and histories were very popular with children during the 19th century and have made a significant comeback in the home schooling community today. They are language and content appropriate for young children, better so than much of what is currently produced. She also wrote introductions to various stories from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Not much biographical information is known about Pollard, it is even only assumed she passed away in New York. However, she was known and respected by hymnists and composers such as Fanny Crosby and William Bradbury since she collaborated with them on a number of hymnal projects.
This hymn is often used in funerals, and yet it can bring comfort for those whose lives continue in difficulty. It speaks to a yearning which is imbedded deeply in nearly every culture and nearly all of mankind’s existence. Beyond then end of our days, the sunset of our lives, there is a golden city where we will finally find our home and tears will be no more.
