Lord of All Hopefulness
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
Jan Struther
Lord Of All Hopefulness is a hymn written by agnostic Jan Struther, which was published in the enlarged edition of "Songs of Praise" [1] (Oxford University Press) in 1931. The hymn is used in liturgy, at weddings and at the beginning of funeral services.
It is set to the melody of an Irish folksong, collected in the village of Slane, which is also the melody of another well-known hymn, Be Thou My Vision. In English hymn books, where traditional folk tunes are used, the place of collection is attributed as the tune name.
The hymn has also been given its own tune, "Miniver" (originally in The BBC Hymn Book 1951), which acknowledges Jan Struther by reference to her famous text character "Mrs Miniver". [2]
This hymn can also be found in the 1971 combined red Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada, set to the tune "Avonlea" by Stanley Osborne, with a note saying that it could also be sung to the tune "Slane" with a few modifications to the melody. It is also sung by Catholic congregations in the U.S. [3]
References
- ↑ "A Celebration of Women Writers". Digital Library Projects at the University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ↑ Milgate, W. Songs of the People of God. A Companion to the Australian Hymn Book/With One Voice . London: Collins Liturgical Publications, 1982. ISBN 0 00 599704 6
- ↑ "Worship", 4th Ed. 2011, GIA Publications, Chicago IL
External links
- http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/l/l375.html
- http://www.weddingguideuk.com/articles/wordsmusic/hymns/Hymn-LordOfAllHopefulness.asp