Lanta Wilson Smith
(1856-1939)
When the gloomy shadows gather ‘round your way,
And the clouds of sorrow hide the sun’s bright ray,
Keep your faith unshaken, tho’ all ills combine;
When the days are darkest, that’s the time to shine.1
Chorus:
That’s the time to shine, that’s the time to shine,
Let your faith and courage glow with light divine;
That’s the time to shine, that’s the time to shine,
When the days are darkest, that’s the time to shine.
When the world’s allurements beckon by the hour,
When the weak are yielding to the tempter’s pow’r,
Send a word of warning all along the line:
When the days are darkest, that’s the time to shine.
Oh, the weary burdens that the world must bear!
Who will try to lighten toil and grief and care?
Let your lovingkindness round the sad hearts twine;
When the days are darkest, that’s the time to shine.
Sing amid the shadows of the fleeting years,
Bravely meet the conflict, conquer needless fears.
Trust the hand that leads you, tho’ all joys decline;
When the days are darkest, that’s the time to shine.2
- This first stanza is quoted by Isaiah Reid in Departing Ravens and Drying Brooks. ↩
- Isaiah Reid concludes his essay in Departing Ravens and Drying Brooks with the last verse of this hymn. ↩
