Choir of St John's College, Cambridge - Scottish Psalter.wmv

'O for closer walk with God', William Cowper(1731-1800)

Cowper, whose fa­ther was cha­plain to King George II, went through the mo­tions of be­com­ing an at­tor­ney, but ne­ver prac­ticed law. He lived near Ol­ney, Buck­ing­ham­shire, the name­sake town of the Ol­ney Hymns, which he co-wrote with John New­ton, au­thor of Amaz­ing Grace. Cow­per al­so wrote po­et­ry, in­clud­ing The Ne­gros Com­plaint, an an­ti-slav­ery work, and the 5,000-line The Task.


Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem

COWPERS GRAVE

It is a place where po­ets crowned may feel the hearts decaying;
It is a place where happy saints may weep amid their praying;
Yet let the grief and humbleness as low as silence can languish:
Earth surely now may give her calm to whom she gave her anguish.

O po­ets from a maniacs tongue was poured the deathless sing­ing!
O Christ­ians, at your cross of hope a hopeless hand was clinging!
O men, this man in brotherhood your weary paths beguiling,
Groaned inly while he taught you peace, and died while ye were smiling!

And now, what time ye all may read through dimming tears his story,
How discord on the mu­sic fell and darkness on the glory,
And how when, one by one, sweet sounds and wandering lights departed,
He wore no less a loving face because so broken-hearted.

With quiet sadness and no gloom, I learn to think upon him,
With meekness that is gratefulness to God whose Hea­ven hath won him,
Who suffered once the madness-cloud to His own love to blind him,
But gently led the blind along where breath and bird could find him;

And wrought with­in his shattered brain such quick po­etic senses
As hills have language for, and stars, harmonious influences:
The pulse of dew upon the grass kept his with­in its number,
And silent shadows from the trees refreshed him like a slumber.

Wild timid hares were drawn from woods to share his home-caresses,
Uplooking to his human eyes with sylvan tendernesses,
The very world, by Gods constraining, from falsehoods ways removing,
Its women and its men be­came, beside him, true and loving.

And though, in blindness, he remained unconscious of that guiding,
And things provided came with­out the sweet sense of providing,
He testified this solemn truth, while phrensy desolated,—
Nor man nor nature satisfied whom on­ly God created.

Words: Will­iam Cow­per, in Con­yers Col­lect­ion of Psalms and Hymns, 1772. About these lines, Cow­per wrote to his aunt:

I be­gan to com­pose them yes­ter­day morn­ing be­fore day­break, but I fell asleep at the end of the first two lines. When I awaked again, the third and fourth vers­es were whis­pered to my heart in a way I have of­ten ex­per­i­enced.




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O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew,
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul refreshing view
Of Jesus and His Word?

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known,
Whateer that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

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[dimstar4now]

A very favorite hymn, simply superb!

Thanks for posting this, and for your many others too!

[treblechoir99]

@dimstar4now Welcome, very appreciat.

[donhenri01]

Quoi de plus beau que la simplicité de la mélodie d'un ancien cantique (hélas en France nous les avons tous remplacés par des musiquettes ineptes dans les années 70-80) chanté avec âme. C'est beau, pur, cela a l'air simple, mais c'est ce qui est le plus difficile et méritoire.

Pax et Bonum

[treblechoir99]

Pour la semaine oecuménique, j'ai assisté à un office anglican, une messe et un evensong à 16h. C'est encore comme ça chez eux, ils ont encore leur 2 livres de cantiques où les fidèles chantent en grand choeur. Moi j'était tout mêlé dans les pages lol Une dame gentille voyant ma difficulté de retrouver les pages m'indiquaient lesquelles je devais prendre pour ce dimanche. En soirée cette journée oeucuménique s'est terminé à l'Oratoire St-Joseph.

[treblechoir99]

@treblechoir99 Pardon me, forget. Shalom Yerushalayim

[treblechoir99]

@TheLordAwaked I see you're not british, sorry my friend, St John's College is Christian yes, but anglican. Or yes anglican in the history is Catholic but not from Roman Catholic. And Catholic is 'Universal' in english. My channel of course It's all for the music, like Meydad Tesa, Amit Listvand, from Israel, no prejudice for me. Music is Universal, no frontier, rewarding moment for all humanity. for you and for me too. Thank you for your kind comment about the song.

[MrStan1941]

Caithness?

[grateful2beable]

Gorgeous!!! :)

[homousios]

YOU ARE RIGHT! This is a beautiful hymn inddeed. Thank you very much.

fantastic!

[treblechoir99]

J'aime beaucoup cet hymne.