Lyrics
Hail the day that sees Him rise,
Alleluia!
To His throne above the skies,
Alleluia!
Christ, awhile to mortals given,
Alleluia!
Reascends His native heaven,
Alleluia!
There the glorious triumph waits,
Alleluia!
Lift your heads, eternal gates,
Alleluia!
Wide unfold the radiant scene,
Alleluia!
Take the King of glory in,
Alleluia!
Highest heaven its Lord receives,
Alleluia!
Yet He loves the earth He leaves,
Alleluia!
Though returning to His throne,
Alleluia!
Still He calls us all His own,
Alleluia!
Still for us He intercedes,
Alleluia!
His atoning death He pleads,
Alleluia!
Near Himself prepares our place,
Alleluia!
He the firstfruits of our race,
Alleluia!
There we shall with Him remain,
Alleluia!
Partners of His endless reign,
Alleluia!
See Him with unclouded view,
Alleluia!
Find our heaven of heavens in Him,
Alleluia!
Public domain hymn text (1739). Words by Charles Wesley. Wesley's original ran to ten stanzas; the five given here are the standard representative text used across modern hymnals.
The Story Behind the Hymn
Charles Wesley wrote 'Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise' in 1739, part of the same extraordinarily productive early period of his hymn-writing career that also produced 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.'
Wesley's original text ran to ten full stanzas, but the five-stanza form given here, refined by later editors including Thomas Cotterill, became the standard representative text found across the great majority of modern hymnals.
The hymn's most distinctive structural feature is its constant, repeated interruption, an 'Alleluia!' following almost every single line, breaking the narrative into short, exclamatory bursts of praise.
Its later verses draw on Psalm 24's imagery, commanding 'eternal gates' to lift up and receive the 'King of glory,' before turning to Christ's ongoing intercession and the believer's own promised future reign alongside Him.
That closing image, believers as 'partners' of Christ's 'endless reign,' echoes Paul's promise in 2 Timothy 2 that those who endure will also reign with Christ, extending the ascension's triumph forward into the believer's own hope.
The hymn is commonly sung to LLANFAIR, a lively Welsh tune composed by Robert Williams, whose bright, celebratory character suits the text's constant alleluias.
It remains considered the most popular of all English-language Ascension hymns, valued for the way its relentless, repeated alleluias make sustained, uninterrupted joy structurally impossible to avoid.
