| I Vow To Thee, My Country |
Article Index for I |
Website Links For Thee |
Information AboutI Vow To Thee, My Country |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT I VOW TO THEE, MY COUNTRY | |
| christian hymns | |
| british patriotic songs | |
|
HISTORY The origin of the Lyrics is a Poem by Diplomat Cecil Spring-Rice which he wrote in 1908 whilst posted to the British Embassy in Stockholm . Then called ''Urbs Dei'' or ''The Two Fatherlands'', the poem described how a Christian owes his loyalities to both his homeland and the heavenly kingdom. At that time, the first verse glorified warfare in a manner common to the bellicose Patriotism that preceded the Great War . In 1912, Spring-Rice was sent to Washington, D.C. as Ambassador to the United States Of America where he worked to influence the administration of Woodrow Wilson to abandon Neutrality and join Britain and her Empire in the war against Germany . After the Americans entered the war, he was recalled to Britain. Shortly before his departure from the US in January 1918, he re-wrote and renamed ''Urbs Dei'', significantly altering the first verse to concentrate on the huge losses suffered by British soldiers during the intervening years. The first verse is a reference to , "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." DELETED VERSE The hymn was originally written with three verses; the second verse was not considered suitable for modern use, and is not included in hymn books. The deleted lyrics are as follows: :I heard my country calling, away across the sea, :Across the waste of waters she calls and calls to me. :Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head, :And round her feet are lying the dying and the dead. :I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns, :I haste to thee my mother, a son among thy sons. CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS USE The hymn is popular at weddings and is also associated with Remembrance Day services in the UK and in Canada .2 Lady Diana, Princess Of Wales , requested that this hymn be sung at her wedding in 1981 , saying that it had "always been a favourite since schooldays". It was also sung at her Funeral in 1997 and her ten-year memorial thanksgiving service in 2007 . COMMERCIAL USES
LYRICS These are the lyrics as found in hymn books, which omit the deleted middle verse. :I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above, :Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love; :The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test, :That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best; :The love that never falters, the love that pays the price, :The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice. :And there's another country, I've heard of long ago, :Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know; :We may not count her armies, we may not see her King; :Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering; :And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase, :And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace. NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|