Classic Hymns and Their Stories
Puzzle 61 · Across Languages and Borders · Page 87 in print
Be Thou My Vision
The Irish Church Hymnal of 1919 paired the English words with a folk tune named SLANE.
Jump to a word
The words
Battle Shield
The armor image in Hull’s third stanza.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Breastplate
The armor image used in the prayer’s tradition.
Chatto
The first publisher name on Hull’s title page.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Eleanor Hull
The writer who reshaped Byrne’s translation into verse.
Heart
The center of love addressed in the final stanza.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
High King
The royal title given to God.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Inheritance
The lasting possession sought by the singer.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Lorica
A prayer of spiritual protection.
Mary Byrne
The scholar who translated the Irish text in 1905.
Monica Nevin
The scholar who later translated another manuscript version.
Patrick Joyce
The collector whose 1909 book supplied a related folk melody.
Slane
The folk tune paired with the hymn.
Tower
The high refuge pictured in that stanza.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Treasure
The valued possession used as a divine metaphor.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Wisdom
The divine understanding requested in the prayer.
Project Gutenberg: The Poem-Book of the Gael (opens a new tab)
Sources
- The Poem-Book of the Gael Translations from Irish Gaelic Poetry into English Prose and VerseEleanor Hull, The Poem-Book of the Gael, 1913 impression, public domain
- Be Thou My VisionChris Fenner et al., Hymnology Archive