I Vow To Thee My Country’ Sir Cecil Spring Rice, GCMG, GCVO / Gustav Holst
I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test That lays upon the altar, the dearest and the best The love that never falters, the love that pays the price The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice
And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know We may not count her armies, we may not see her king Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering And soul by soul, and silently her shining bounds increase And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace
The text for the hymn comes originally from a poem written originally in about 1908, by a British diplomat and Ambassador to the United States, Sir Cecil Spring Rice, (1859-1918).
Called Urbs Dei (The City of God) or ‘The Two Father Lands‘ the poem explores how a Christian will have two countries , his homeland and his heavenly country.
In 1918 just prior to his death and after the trauma and losses of the First World War, Spring Rice rewrote the first verse to ensure it portrayed themes of love and sacrifice.
Music by Gustav Holst, (1874 – 1934)
It was set to music by Gustav Holst, who, in spite of his insistence on the integrity and completeness of his ‘Planets Suite‘, he himself adapted part of Jupiter to form a tune that fitted the words of the poem .
It was published as a hymn in 1925 in the ‘Songs of Praise‘ hymnbook, which was sadly after Spring Rice’s death on 14th February, 1918
The tune was called ‘Thaxted ‘ after the village where Holst lived for many years.
Longstanding Popularity
‘I Vow to Thee, My Country’ has been popular ever since and was used at the funerals of Sir Winston Churchill, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher.
In 2019 it was voted the Nation’s sixth favourite hymn , despite there being some criticism over it with a question over ” unquestioning obedience”.
It continues to be widely used in Remembrance Services worldwide.
With very powerful words it continues to resonate with us as we gather to remember the fallen of all conflicts.
One of the most lovely hymns of Harvest; we were delighted to sing it again today at St Peter’s harvest service.
We gathered to celebrate this special service of thanksgiving on a very foggy morning – The top of the Tower obscured from view. Living in what is still very much a rural community, where we are blessed to see our local farmers at work cultivating the land, our Lay Reader, Maxine Johnson, gave thanks in her prayers today for the gift of that sight, we are so accustomed to witnessing, year on year. She gave thanks for farmers, market gardeners and allotmenteers for their diligence and commitment to the land and dedication to their way of life. Dedication and a lifestyle choice from which we all benefit, not only in the form of the food which they produce, but the landscape around us that we see every day.
The landscape here in south Leicestershire, is especially pretty, with its rolling hills and soft valleys – gentleness that is so easily overlooked and possibly dismissed by some. Yet, without it and so many areas of precious farmland found alongside in Rutland, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire provide some of the best food people enjoy.
We are truly blessed.
Readings today were firstly from Deuteronomy and latterly the Gospel of St John. In the reading from Deuteronomy, the instruction is made as follows:
You shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place which the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.
The second reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus himself, speaks of food in two different ways, the food our bodies need to live, but the more vital food for our very souls.
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst”.
John 6:35
Jesus, as ever, speaks with immense wisdom and understanding of people. Before making this beautiful statement, he talks to the people who followed him after he fed them on the mountain with fish and bread. His instinct was that they had eaten so well, they wanted to be fed again. So understandable, but his lesson was that food from the earth, does not last and only sustains the body. Earthly food does not feed the soul.
He argued that his ‘food’ was the bread of eternal life and is unfaltering. He, himself, is the food we all need. When we believe and follow him, our lives will be enriched and sustained, however hard our earthly struggles may be. He is with us, inside us, keeping us going and even carrying us at times.
What an extraordinary message and gift? Definitely, something to sing loud and joyfully!
Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied; come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
St Peter's Church, Church Langton 