Be Thou My Vision
August 19, 2005 Posted by Roger Overton
Hands down, this has been my favorite song through the
years. In many churches I’ve attended, hymns such as this one are not often
sung, if at all. When it is sung, though, there is little that could possibly
ruin that day. Even the Red Sox being crushed by the Angels or Tim Wakefield
being pegged by a line drive (which was even more painful to watch in person)
cannot detract from how this hymn sets my heart and thoughts toward Christ.
Earlier this year I discovered a verse of the hymn I’d never
heard before. It is the third verse presented below. This verse is just as
beautiful as the others, and I’m almost upset that I’d never seen or heard it
before. I also recently discovered the history of the hymn, which is
fascinating. Here are some excerpts on the background of the hymn:
“The words to this hymn come from the Irish monastic
tradition. Some scholars argue that they may date from 700 CE. It is an example
of a “lorica” or breastplate – almost a sort of incantation to be
recited for protection arming oneself for spiritual or physical battle…”
“The text is set to the hymn tune “Slane.” This
tune is of Irish folk origin. It is named for a hill about ten miles from Tara
hill in County Meath. It is on Slane hill, according to an account in the
“Confessions of St. Patrick” that the Irish saint defied the command
of the pagan king Loigaire by lighting the Pascal candle on Easter Eve. St.
Patrick's act was done in defiance of the king's edict that no fire could be
ignited before the royal fire was lit by the king's hand on Tara hill. The
royal fire was kindled to celebrate the pagan Spring festival and symbolized
the return of light and change of season following the darkness of winter.”
The context from which the elements of the hymn has
been put together makes it all the more rich. I cannot now sing the hymn
without also reflecting on what the music and words have meant to those who
composed it. My prayer is that we may all be so bold as St. Patrick with Christ
as our vision…
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Related posts:
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing -Authorship
- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing -Variations
- Of Visions and Stories: The Distinctive Problems with Joseph Smiths First Vision
- What Can the Righteous Do?
- A Good Friday Prayer – From The 1662 Book Of Common Prayer
- Link-o-vision
Posted in Main Page, Poetry/Scripture/Liturgy/Etc., Roger's Posts
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August 19th, 2005 at 7:28 am
August 19th, 2005 at 8:07 am
This is my favorite hymn, hands down. Great post, and a great blog.
~centuri0n
http://centuri0n.blogspot.com
last man on the “B” Team
August 19th, 2005 at 11:08 am
Hey! I thought this blog exists for the purpose of debate. What's with the posting about hymns?
August 19th, 2005 at 12:41 pm
This was already my favorite hymn, and I had no idea it had anything to do with St. Patrick. You just made the hymn ten times better for me by telling me this. His Confessions are incredibly inspiring, and I only hope I can be 1/10 of the lover of God and the lost that he was.
Just one note: I think the glossary is mistaken about the Hill of Slane. I believe that story was written later about Patrick and reflected a tradition that had been passed down. It still may be true history, but it wasn't in Confessions.
August 23rd, 2005 at 1:35 am
It's a beautiful hymn. It wouldn't be surprising that it rose from a community and history such as this describes.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
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