Vain man, of mortal parents born

Verse 1
Vain man, of mortal parents born,
Know thou art born to die!
How frail our state, how short our life!
How full of misery!

Verse 2
As flowers from mother-earth we rise,
A fading bloom we spread:
As soon we waste and pass away
Among th’ unnumber’d dead.

Verse 3
As shadows glide o’er hills and dales,
And yet no tracks appear;
So swift we vanish hence; our souls
Have no abiding here.

Verse 4
The mourners go about the streets
With solemn steps, and slow;
Thus must it be for you and me,
To the same home we go.

Verse 5
So teach us, Lord, to number out
Our life’s uncertain days,
We timely may our hearts apply
To heav’nly wisdom’s ways.

Verse 6
O holy Lord! O mighty God!
When we resign our breath,
Then save us from the bitter pains
Of everlasting death.

Hymnal/Album: Originally titled: "A Funeral Hymn, for a Scholar, or Other Young Person." Introduced in A Collection of Psalms and Hymns (1741), published by John Wesley (London: William Strahan, 1741). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 2 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1869), page 28.
Publishing: Public Domain