Gird on thy sword, O man, thy strength endue,
In fair desire thine earth-born joy renew.
Live thou thy life beneath the making sun
Till Beauty, Truth, and Love in thee are one.

Thro' thousand ages hath thy childhood run:
On timeless ruin hath thy glory been:
From the forgotten night of loves fordone
Thou risest in the dawn of hopes unseen.

Higher and higher shall thy thoughts aspire,
Unto the stars of heaven, and pass away,
And earth renew the buds of thy desire
In fleeting blooms of everlasting day.

Thy work with beauty crown, thy life with love;
Thy mind with truth uplift to God above;
For whom all is, from whom was all begun,
In whom all Beauty, Truth, and Love are one.

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in Cornhill Magazine, September 1898

Text Authorship:

• by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844 - 1930), no title, appears in A Hymn of Nature, no. 7 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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

• by Maurice Blower (1894 - 1982), "Gird on thy sword, o man", published 1937. [unison chorus and piano] [ sung text not verified ]
• by Ernest Bullock, Sir (1890 - 1979), "Gird on thy sword", published 1928. [unison chorus and piano] [ sung text not verified ]
• by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Gird on thy sword" [SATB quartet, organ, and handbells ad libitum] [ sung text not verified ]
• by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "Gird on thy sword, O man, thy strength endue", 1947-48, first performed 1948 [chorus and instrumental ensemble], from the cantata Man in his labour rejoiceth, no. 7, note: for 9 choirs, 4 pipe bands, and 8 colliery brass bands; the brass band parts were lost and replaced by new ones recreated by Andrew Duncan for a new edition published in 2012 by The Music Company (UK) Ltd [ sung text not verified ]

This text (or a part of it) is used in a work

• by Cyril Stanley Christopher (1897 - ?), "A Hymn of Nature", c1940. [soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra]
  • Go to the full setting text.
    
• by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "A Song of Darkness and Light", published 1898. [soprano, SATB chorus, and orchestra]
  • Go to the full setting text.
    

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-01-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 126