The Cyber Hymnal ‎#1188

1188. Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

1. Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

2. In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

3. O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with Thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!

4. With that deep hush subduing all
Our words and works that drown
The tender whisper of Thy call,
As noiseless let Thy blessing fall
As fell Thy manna down.

5. Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

6. Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.

Text Information

• First Line: Dear Lord and Father of mankind
• Title: Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
• Author: John G. Whittier (1872)
• Meter: 86.886
• Language: English
• Source: Atlantic Monthly, April 1872
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: These words are from a long narrative poem, "The Brewing of Soma." It describes Vedic priests going into the forest and drinking themselves into a stupor with a concoction called soma. They try to have a religious experience and contact the spirit world. It is after setting that scene that Whittier draws his lesson: Dear Lord, and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways... This hymn is as relevant today as when it was written. In a modern context, it speaks to the drug culture, and those looking for an experience to prove the reality of God. The hymn was sung in the 2007 movie Atonement, which won an Academy Award for best score. Alternate tunes: HAMMERSMITH (GLADSTONE), William H. Gladstone, 1840-1892; REPTON, Charles H. H. Parry, 1888

Tune Information

• Name: REST (Maker)
• Composer: Frederick Charles Maker (1887)
• Meter: 86.886
• Incipit: 33323 55443 11223
• Key: D Major
• Copyright: Public Domain