Snowdrops! lift your timid heads,
All the earth is waking,
Field and forest, brown and dead,
Into life are waking;
Snowdrops, rise, and tell the story,
How He rose, the Lord of glory.

Lilies! lilies! Easter calls!
Rise to meet the dawning
Of the blessèd light that falls
Through the Easter morning;
Ring your bells and tell the story,
How He rose, the Lord of glory.

Waken, sleeping butterflies,
Burst your narrow prison!
Spread your golden wings and rise,
For the Lord is risen;
Spread your wings and tell the story,
How He rose, the Lord of glory.

How shall we answer terror’s cry,
The cunning blade, the flaming sky?
When murderous spite knocks down our door
And violence breaks upon our shore,
O let us come and look to You
To know Your will—what shall we do?

When Satan whispers, “Hate your foe,
Now take your vengeance—draw the bow,”
Protect us from the tempter’s guile,
The lying voice, the evil smile.
O let us come in trust to You,
To hear the word we know is true.

When executioners hung You high
You turned Your prayer up to the sky,
And pled the Father to forgive,
You asked that cruel men might live.
O let us Your example take,
And pray for sinners as we ache.

We pray that You their hearts will turn;
And light a holy fire to burn
Their dross away, so they may be
Like gold refined, eternally.
O let us pray that they become,
Like us, with You forever one.

The morning kindles all the sky,
The heavens resound with anthems high,
The shining angels as they speed,
Proclaim, “The Lord is risen indeed!”

Vainly with rocks His tomb was barred,
While Roman guards kept watch and ward;
Majestic from the spoilèd tomb,
In pomp of triumph, He has come!

When the amazed disciples heard,
Their hearts with speechless joy were stirred;
Their Lord’s belovèd face to see,
Eager they haste to Galilee.

His piercèd hands to them He shows,
His face with love’s own radiance glows;
They with the angels’ message speed,
And shout, “The Lord is risen indeed!”

O Christ, thou King compassionate!
Our hearts possess, on Thee we wait:
Help us to render praises due,
To Thee the endless ages through!

O joyous Easter morning,
That saw the Lord of love arise!
O bright and happy morning!
The clouds have left the skies.
The night of grief is ended,
The smiling day has come again,
And Christ has won the victory
For all the sons of men.

O gladsome Easter morning,
Our hearts rejoice anew today,
The grave and death are conquered,
He is of life the Way.
The hosts of sin are vanquished,
He is the Victor, Savior, King;
Then let us all with gladness,
Our thankful praises bring.

O blessèd Easter morning,
What day so bright and fair as this,
When, through His mighty triumph,
He won the courts of bliss!
The doors of heaven are open,
The grave no more has power or dread,
For risen is our Savior,
The firstfruits of the dead.

The Lord is ris’n indeed,
Loud let His praises ring!
From death’s dominion freed,
Ascends the conqu’ring King,
At God’s right hand to take His place
And reign supreme through everlasting days.

The Lord is ris’n indeed,
Risen to die no more;
And now in Heav’n doth plead
For those whose sins He bore
In dreadful anguish on the tree,
From sin and death to set His people free.

The Lord is ris’n indeed,
Conqu’ror of death and hell;
He lives, the woman’s Seed,
The King invisible:
He lives to bruise the serpent’s head,
And raise His ransomed people from the dead.

The Lord is ris’n indeed,
Entered the courts on high,
To win for man the meed
Of immortality:
And soon to earth will He descend,
The cruel reign of sin and death to end.