"Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart"
Hymn 488, "Be thou my vision," Jesus Christ our Lord
Words: Eleanor Hull, 1912/13, "Poem Book of Gael" Music: Slane, 8th century, of Irish folk origin:
associated with the ballad 'With My Love Come on the Road,"
in "Old Irish Folk Music and Songs," written by Patrick W. Joyce, 1909
"slane" means "salvation" in Irish
The Hymnal of the Episcopal Church 1982
.
Words: Eleanor Hull, 1912/13, "Poem Book of Gael" Music: Slane, 8th century, of Irish folk origin:
associated with the ballad 'With My Love Come on the Road,"
in "Old Irish Folk Music and Songs," written by Patrick W. Joyce, 1909
"slane" means "salvation" in Irish
The Hymnal of the Episcopal Church 1982
.
In the Fifth century A.D., Saint Patrick came to the Hill of Slane in County Meath in an early on attempt to convert pagan Ireland to Christianity. On the eve of the Christian feast of Easter, 433 A.D. which coincides with the Druid feast of Bealtine (Beal's fire) and the Spring Equinox, St. Patrick lit a bonfire upon the Hill of Slane. There was a law that no fire should be lit in the vicinity when the great festival fire of Bealtine blazed at the Royal seat of power on the visibly nearby Hill of Tara.
The lighting of a fire seems trivial to us but at the time it was equivalent to declaring war on the Druids and their pagan beliefs and war against the King of Ireland. That small act of starting a fire was a turning point in St. Patrick's life and in the history of Ireland. The Hill of Slane is where Saint Patrick (foreground above) confronted King Leoghaire (Leary) Mac Neill, the High King of Tara and all Ireland. Patrick lit the Easter fire contrary to the Druidic law, and changed the spiritual landscape of Ireland forever.
The lighting of a fire seems trivial to us but at the time it was equivalent to declaring war on the Druids and their pagan beliefs and war against the King of Ireland. That small act of starting a fire was a turning point in St. Patrick's life and in the history of Ireland. The Hill of Slane is where Saint Patrick (foreground above) confronted King Leoghaire (Leary) Mac Neill, the High King of Tara and all Ireland. Patrick lit the Easter fire contrary to the Druidic law, and changed the spiritual landscape of Ireland forever.
An 8th Century Monk, Dallan Forgaill penned the words to "Be Thou My Vision," as a tribute to St. Patrick's whole-hearted loyalty to God, writing the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” ("Be Thou my Vision), to remember and honor the faith of St. Patrick. Forgaill was martyred by pirates, but his poetry lived on as a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries. The hymn was translated from Irish to English in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne. In 1912, Eleanor H. Hull arranged the song into the verse most commonly found in English hymnals today. The music to accompany the lyrics is an ancient Irish folk tune called Slane. Thus paired with the English text, the "Be Thou My Vision" sung today first appeared in the Irish Church Hymnal in 1919.
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
