Yet once more, his own to save,
Christ must sleep within the grave.
“Fierce and deadly was the anguish
On the bitter cross he bore;
How did soul and body languish,
Till the toil of death was o’er!
But that toil, so fierce and dread,
Bruised and crushed the serpent’s head.
“Close and still the tomb that holds him,
While in brief repose he lies;