Saturday, November 05, 2011

For all the saints



For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, alleluia!

Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia, alleluia!

O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, alleluia!

From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, alleluia!

(I love this hymn. But I'm not sure if the above is a good rendition. For example, I thought the third stanza might've been better served had the entire chorus or perhaps a male sung instead. Particularly so given the martial imagery painted. At any rate, I hope it's enough to give a fair sense of the hymn.)

2 comments:

  1. There's a better rendition of "For All the Saints" at Gerald Ford's funeral. It starts about a minute or so into the video.

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  2. The third stanza sounds like a descant that was sung without the benefit of the underlying melody. I've always liked this hymn.

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