Gracious Grantings

orchidee



Tune: Doncaster

('Put thou thy trust in God')

Based on a prayer of Thomas á Kempis

[German monk, 15th Century]

**********

1. Grant me, Lord, devotion

May each thought, each notion

Be with your grace enabling me

To your holy ways see

 

2. O Lord, you are all good

I worship as I should

Though I mere dust, a worm, you bid

Me, you from me not hid

 

3. Remember me, Lord, do

Nothing I have, save you

You do all things, you fill all things

My soul humbly you sings

 

4. Be merciful to me

Fill my heart, may I see

Your graces true, I worthless not

In you my fine fare lot

 

5. How can I here endure

Without your grace, the cure

To aid me through life of sorrows

You each one's burdens knows

 

6. Strengthen me with you grace

And mercy too, your face

Turn not from me, to me come soon

I rest in you, in tune

 

7. Withdraw not help from me

Or else I then shall be

Like waterless desert, my soul

Shall be dried and unwhole

 

8. Teach me Lord here, your will

To live humbly, meek, still

And worthily live in your sight

Who dispel dark and night

 

9. You are my Wisdom all

I ever on you call

You know me truly, before I

E'en uttered my first cry

  • Author: orchidee (Offline Offline)
  • Published: July 27th, 2017 08:48
  • Comment from author about the poem: A hymn-poem in 6686 metre. Possibly one in a series (8 in all?), though tricky to adapt to hymn-poems! Quite a bit of 'worm-theology' and 'dusty' stuff in them, from an ascetic lifestyle of a monk.
  • Category: Spiritual
  • Views: 47
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Comments +

Comments4

  • orchidee

    I don't know if 'unwhole' is a word, but I thought it up to rhyme with 'soul'. It seemed to maintain the 'depth' and 'formality' of this hymn-poem. I didn't want to over-generalise, but in my style of hymn-poems, I'm unlikely to be too 'modern' with 'Yeah, yeah, praise Him' or 'I wanna scream out the good news from every mountain top!' type hymns/choruses! There's that dust again, and a worm too now! lol.

  • charlesbarrett

    I really really enjoyed this piece. I can’t believe I haven’t read more of your work. Poetry loaded with theology is right up my alley! Thanks for sharing, my friend.

    • orchidee

      Thanks Charles. This one's a bit 'heavy' maybe, compared to some of mine. It's based on a prayer by a German monk.

      • charlesbarrett

        Ahh yes. I read Imitation of the Christ 3 or so years ago. Great place to draw inspiration from

        • orchidee

          Yes, I agree Charles. Yet he is on the 'ascetic' side. Some say he flogs himself a bit - metaphorically speaking. Not to earn his salvation, which he can't do, but in an austere lifestyle. Hence my fairly often references to 'dust' and 'worms', though Biblical!

        • BRIAN & ANGELA

          Thanks STEVE ~ great tune and an even greater POEM ~ HYMNS ANCIENT will always stand the test of time and triumph ! Hymns MODERN (except for the Kendricks !) will die and be forgotten like the rest ~ AMEN ~ BRIAN (Musicologist)

          • orchidee

            I dunno though Brian. I expect quite a lot of modern will last too. It's just me, not keen on some hymns or choruses sounding too 'common'. Not that I'm strict, nor hellfire and brimstone. Difficult to fit words to some modern layouts, seeing as I often rhyme. Yet some old hymns have an 'Irregular' Metre, and I think 'Ahh, may not attempt them for my hymn-poems'! Some may become like cat-and-dog: one loves the new and hates the old, and another one is vice versa, and never the twain may meet!

            • orchidee

              Thanks Outback. But, yep, the tunes are good enough for me! I expect I shall carry on using them!

            • Goldfinch60

              Very good prayer/hymn.

              • orchidee

                Thanks G. Was you around in the 15th Century too, when it was first written?



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