Crown Him with Many Crowns

This hymn has its root in Revelation 19:12, and the conceit of the song is to in each verse hypothecate one of the "crowns" that Christ will wear.  Over the years, the number of these crowns first multiplied and have then been winnowed down.  A converted English Catholic (Matthew Bridges) first wrote the hymn.  Counterverses were then composed by a Church of England pastor (Godfrey Thring), who was concerned about Catholic teaching being sung in Anglican churches.  Each contributed six verses, and hymn editors normally publish an amalgam of the best verses of each.  Some of the verses most commonly chosen today are set out below.

Original lyrics:

Crown Him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon His throne.
HARK! How the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of Him who died for THEE,
And hail Him as THY matchless King
through all eternity.

Crown Him the Son of God,
before the worlds began,
And YE who TREAD where He HATH TROD,
crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief HATH known
that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
that all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of life,
who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of peace,
whose pow'r a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
and round His piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown Him the Lord of love,
behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
at mysteries so bright.

Crown Him the Lord of Heaven,
enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given
the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns,
as thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, YE kings, with many crowns,
for He is King of all.

Crown Him the Lord of lords,
who over all DOTH reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night,
their God, Redeemer, King.

Lyrics by Matthew Bridges, Godfrey Thring

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