Exult, dust and ashes
Anne Kettle
Jerusalem the golden,
with milk and honey blest,
beneath thy contemplation
sink heart and voice opprest.
I know not, O I know not,
what social joys are there,
what radiancy of glory,
what light beyond compare.
They stand, those halls of Sion,
Conjubilant with song,
and bright with many an angel,
and all the martyr throng;
The Prince is ever in them,
the daylight is serene,
the pastures of the blessèd
are decked in glorious sheen.
There is the throne of David,
and there, from care released,
the song of them that triumph,
the shout of them that feast;
and they who, with their Leader,
have conquered in the fight,
for ever and for ever
are clad in robes of white.
O sweet and blessèd country,
Shall I ever see thy face?
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I ever win thy grace?
Exult, O dust and ashes!
The Lord shall be thy part:
His only, his for ever,
Thou shalt be, and thou art!
The origin of this hymn, Jerusalem the Golden, was Latin verse written by Bernard of Cluny in the twelfth century. It was translated into its current form by the Revd J.M. Neale in the nineteenth century. The imagery is taken from the heavenly Jerusalem depicted in Revelation and is one of great joy. We are shown, ‘the radiancy of glory’, ‘many an angel’, ‘all the martyr throng’ and those who ‘have conquered in the fight’. There is feasting and music; so what does this have to do with lent, surely it’s more suitable for an Easter celebration? But then, in the last verse there are searching questions, and doubt, ‘Shall I ever see thy face?’, ‘Shall I ever win thy grace?’ Most of us know, and probably hope, that we will not join the martyr throng, neither are we engaged in a fight to conquer. We are heading for the ignominy of ‘dust and ashes’, so why exult? Those last three lines say it all. It doesn’t depend on our own actions, Jesus has already won the battle for us. Our lives, present and future are safe with Him. What mind blowing words: His only, his forever,/Thou shalt be, and thou art! So, remember those words this Lent, and Exult, O dust and ashes!
