The hymn is sung to the tune "In Babilone." Here's the first phrase, which is also repeated as the third phrase:
Almost all of the first and third lines of the verses contain a melisma'd "ever" (sung to the notes A G A), and the slight elongation of the word lends a sense of this duration: "Holy Spirit, ever dwelling," "Holy Spirit, ever living," "Holy Spirit, ever working," "Holy Spirit, ever brooding," and "Holy Spirit, ever striving."
Years ago, I also noticed (but neglected to write about) a similar instance near the end of the second verse: in the line "You we praise with endless worship," "endless" is sung with the same melisma in the same musical phrase, repeated once again.
