possibly by Samuel Wilberforce (1805 - 1873) and possibly by Ernest Roland Wilberforce (1840 - 1907)
Translation

Just for today
Language: English  after the English 
Lord, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray;
Keep me, my God, from stain of sin,
Just for today;
Let me no wrong and idle word
Unthinking say;
Set thou a seal upon my lips,
Just for today.

Let me both diligently work
And duly pray;
Let me be kind in word and deed,
Just for today;
Let me in season, Lord, be grave,
In season gay;
Let me be faithful to thy grace,
Just for today.

In pain and sorrow's cleansing fires,
Brief be my stay;
Oh, bid me, if today I die,
Come home today;
So for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray,
But keep me, guide me, love me, Lord;
Just for today.

Note for stanza 3, lines 3 and four: Abbott's score has an ossia: "Oh, take me in thy loving arms, / Lest I should stray;"


The text shown is a variant of another text. [ View differences ]
It is based on

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Paul Ambrose.

Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2020-04-07
Line count: 24
Word count: 120