by Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936)
A hymn
Language: English
O God of earth and altar, Bow down and hear our cry. Our earthly rulers falter, Our people drift and die; The walls of gold entomb us, The swords of scorn divide, Take not thy thunder from us, But take away our pride. From all that terror teaches, From lies of tongue and pen, From all the easy speeches That comfort cruel men, For sale and profanation Of honour and the sword, From sleep and from damnation, Deliver us, good lord. Tie in a living tether The prince and priest and thrall, Bind all our lives together, Smite us and save us all; In ire and exultation Aflame with faith, and free, Lift up a living nation, A single sword to thee.
Authorship:
- by Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936), "A hymn" [author's text not yet checked 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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "A hymn", 2009 [medium voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-22
Line count: 24
Word count: 122