"Be Thou My Vision" ( or ''Rob tú mo bhoile'') is a traditional
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
hymn of Irish origin. The words are based on a
Middle Irish
Middle Irish, also called Middle Gaelic (, , ), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of Late Old English and Early Middle English. The modern Goideli ...
lorica that has sometimes been attributed to
Dallán Forgaill
Eochaid mac Colla ( 560 – 640), better known as Saint Dallán or Dallán Forgaill (; ; Primitive Irish: ''Dallagnas Worgēllas''), was an early Christian Irish poet and saint known as the writer of the "'' Amra Coluim Chille''" ("Elegy of Sai ...
.
The best-known English version, with some minor variations, was translated in 1905 by
Mary Elizabeth Byrne,
then made into verse by
Eleanor Hull and published in 1912. Since 1919 it has been commonly sung to an Irish
folk tune, noted as "Slane" in church
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...
s,
['Be Thou My Vision': first hymn setting in ''Church Hymnal with Accompanying Tunes'' (1919)]
/ref> and is one of the most popular hymns in the United Kingdom.
Text
The original Early Middle Irish text, "Rop tú mo baile", has sometimes been attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century.[Be Thou My Vision](_blank)
at Cyberhymnal However, scholars believe it was written much later than that. Gerard Murphy follows Monica Nevin in dating it to "…the end of the tenth century or in the eleventh century" based on the language used.
There are two manuscript sources for the prayer, National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ) is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is "To collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the ...
MS. 3 (f. 22r), which Murphy calls P, and Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
MS. 23 N 10 (pp. 95–96), which Murphy calls N. Murphy attributes N to the sixteenth-century (one of the scribes refers to the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day 1575) and P "may also have been written in the sixteenth century, or perhaps a century of so earlier". Manuscript P has been attributed to Adhamh Ó Cianáin which would suggest a 14th century origin, but parts of the manuscript, including this prayer, are in a different hand.
Mary Elizabeth Byrne’s 1905 edition and translation in ''Ériu
In Irish mythology, Ériu (; ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland.
The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic languages, Germanic (Old Norse or ...
'' used Manuscript N (RIA MS 23 N 10), referring to Manuscript P as "evidently only a careless transcript of anuscript N, though she gave no justification for this claim. Mrs. Monica Nevin also published an edition and translation of Manuscript P (NLI MS 3) in the journal ''Éigse
''Éigse: A Journal of Irish Studies'' is an academic journal devoted to the study of the Irish language and literature. It began in 1923 as part of an initiative by the Senate of the National University of Ireland to use the Adam Boyd Simpson F ...
'' in 1940.
Byrne’s English translation was first versified by Eleanor Hull, co-founder of the Irish Texts Society
The Irish Texts Society () was founded in 1898 to promote the study of Irish literature. It is a text publication society, issuing annotated editions of texts in Irish language, Irish with English language, English translations and related Litera ...
, and published under the title "A Prayer" in ''The Poem-Book of the Gael'' in 1912. This is now the most common text used.
The text of "Rop tú mo Baile"/"Be Thou My Vision" reflects aspects of life in Early Christian Ireland (c.400-800 AD). The prayer belongs to a type known as a '' lorica'', a prayer for protection. The symbolic use of a battle-shield and a sword
A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
to invoke the power and protection of God draws on Saint Paul
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...
's Epistle to the Ephesians
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament.
Traditionally believed to have been written by the Paul the Apostle, Apostle Paul around AD 62 during his imprisonment in Rome, the Epistle to the Ephesians closely rese ...
(), which refers to "the shield of faith" and "the sword of the Spirit". Such military symbolism was common in the poetry and hymnnology of Christian monasteries of the period due to the prevalence of clan warfare across Ireland. The poem makes reference to God as "King of the Seven Heavens
In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the seven heavens refer to seven firmaments or physical layers located above the open sky. The concept can be found in ancient Mesopotamian religion, Judaism, and Islam. Some traditions complement the seven ...
" and the "High King
A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings, without the title of emperor. Similar titles include great king and king of kings. The high kings of history usually ruled over lands of cultural unity; thus ...
of Heaven". This depiction of the Lord God of heaven and earth as a chieftain
A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribal societies
There is no definition for "tribe".
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...
or High King () is a traditional representation in Irish literature; medieval Irish poetry typically used heroic imagery to cast God as a clan protector.
Musical accompaniment
The hymn is sung to the melody noted as “Slane” in hymnals, an Irish folk tune in time, first published as "With My Love on the Road" in Patrick Joyce's ''Old Irish Folk Music and Songs'' in 1909. The tune is a more elemental distillation of earlier forms, such as "The Hielan's o' Scotland' and "By the Banks of the Bann," also compiled in Joyce (1909). The words of "Be Thou My Vision" were first combined with this tune in 1919 (harmonised by Leopold L Dix, 1861-1935),[ and in a new version harmonised by David Evans in 1927. A further version was harmonised by ]Erik Routley
Erik Reginald Routley ( ; 31 October 1917, Brighton, UK – 8 October 1982, Nashville TN) was an English Congregational churchman, theologian, musician, and prominent hymnologist.
Career
His nearly 40 books on theological thought and music of t ...
for the English Hymnal.
It was common practice to attribute hymn tune names to the place where they were collected by folk song collectors, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
who co-edited ''The English Hymnal
''The English Hymnal'' is a hymn book which was published in 1906 for the Church of England by Oxford University Press. It was edited by the clergyman and writer Percy Dearmer and the composer and music historian Ralph Vaughan Williams, and ...
'', published in 1906. Slane is a village in Ireland.
Four more 20th century hymns have been set to the same tune. The first was "Lord of All Hopefulness
"Lord of all Hopefulness" is a Christian hymn written by English writer Jan Struther, which was published in the enlarged edition of ''Songs of Praise'' (Oxford University Press) in 1931. The hymn is used in liturgy, at weddings and at the ...
" written by Jan Struther
Jan Struther was the pen name of Joyce Anstruther, later Joyce Maxtone Graham and finally Joyce Placzek (June 6, 1901 – July 20, 1953), an English writer remembered for her character Mrs. Miniver and a number of hymns, such as "Lord of All ...
around 1931. The second was "Lord of Creation, to Thee be All Praise" written by J. C. Winslow and first published in 1961. The third was a popular wedding hymn, "God, In the Planning and Purpose of Life", written by John L. Bell and Graham Maule and first appearing in publication in 1989. The fourth is "Wake Now My Senses," written by Thomas Michaelson and published in "Singing the Living Tradition Hymnal" 1994, by the Unitarian Universalist Association.
''Gå inte förbi'' ("Don't Walk Past") is a duet-single set to the tune, recorded by Swedish singer Peter Jöback
Peter Arne Jöback (born 4 June 1971) is a Swedish singer, actor and musical artist.
Jöback has acted in musical theatre, with lead roles in West End productions of ''Miss Saigon'' and ''The Witches of Eastwick''. He is also known for his port ...
and Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also known abroad as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. She is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs to classical vocals and operati ...
and written by Ulf Schagerman. Jöback sings the lyrics in Swedish while sings in Norwegian. It was released as a single in 2003 and at an extended reissue of Jöback's Christmas album Jag kommer hem igen till jul. It was a hit in Norway and Sweden in the Christmas time of 2003 and a music video directed by Mikadelica was made in Denmark. Norwegian newspaper VG gave it 4 out of 6.
Lyrics
The original texts of the now-called "Be Thou My Vision" are in Early Middle Irish. The hymn has been translated into Modern Irish many times. The most popular is that by Aodh Ó Dúgain of Gaoth Dobhair
Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo ...
, County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
. Two verses of his translation were recorded by his granddaughter Máire Ní Bhraonáin – the first time any part of his text has been publicly recorded. Since then, those two verses have been recorded by many artists, including Roma Downey
Roma Downey (born 6 May 1960) is an actress, producer, and author from Northern Ireland. She gained recognition for her role as Monica the angel, in the CBS television series ''Touched by an Angel'', which ran for nine seasons. Downey portray ...
and Aoife
Aoife ( , ) is an Irish and Gaelic feminine given name. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic ''aoibh'', which means "beauty" or "radiance". It has been compared to the Gaulish name ''Esvios'' (Latinized ''Esuvius'', feminine '' Esuvia'') ...
and Iona
Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...
. These verses are paraphrases of the English text and do not closely follow the original.
The song has also been translated into Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
by Céitidh Mhoireasdan and published by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (; ) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, Scotland with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay. Sabhal Mòr is an independent Academic Part ...
.
Two variants of Eleanor Hull's 1912 English translation exist; one version, commonly used in Irish and Scottish hymnals (including the Hymnbooks of the Church of Scotland
Decisions concerning the conduct of public worship in the Church of Scotland are entirely at the discretion of the parish minister. As a result, a wide variety of musical resources are used. However, at various times in its history, the General ...
), fits the metre
The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
10.10.10.10, while a paraphrased version that is used in English books (such as the ''New English Hymnal
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...
'') is suitable to an anacrucial metre 10.11.11.11.
Original Old Irish Text
Rop tú mo baile, a Choimdiu cride:
ní ní nech aile acht Rí secht nime.
Rop tú mo scrútain i lló 's i n-aidche;
rop tú ad-chëar im chotlud caidche.
Rop tú mo labra, rop tú mo thuicsiu;
rop tussu dam-sa, rob misse duit-siu.
Rop tussu m'athair, rob mé do mac-su;
rop tussu lem-sa, rob misse lat-su.
Rop tú mo chathscíath, rop tú mo chlaideb;
rop tussu m'ordan, rop tussu m'airer.
Rop tú mo dítiu, rop tú mo daingen;
rop tú nom-thocba i n-áentaid n-aingel.
Rop tú cech maithius dom churp, dom anmain;
rop tú mo flaithius i nnim 's i talmain.
Rop tussu t'áenur sainṡerc mo chride;
ní rop nech aile acht Airdrí nime.
Co talla forum, ré ndul it láma,
mo chuit, mo chotlud, ar méit do gráda.
Rop tussu t'áenur m'urrann úais amra:
ní chuinngim daíne ná maíne marba.
Rop amlaid dínsiur cech sel, cech sáegul,
mar marb oc brénad, ar t'ḟégad t'áenur.
Do ṡerc im anmain, do grád im chride,
tabair dam amlaid, a Rí secht nime.
Tabair dam amlaid, a Rí secht nime,
do ṡerc im anmain, do grád im chride.
Go Ríg na n-uile rís íar mbúaid léire;
ro béo i flaith nime i ngile gréine
A Athair inmain, cluinte mo núall-sa:
mithig (mo-núarán!) lasin trúagán trúag-sa.
A Chríst mo chride, cip ed dom-aire,
a Flaith na n-uile, rop tú mo baile.
English translation by Mary Byrne (1905)
Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.
Be thou my meditation by day and night.
May it be thou that I behold ever in my sleep.
Be thou my speech, be thou my understanding.
Be thou with me, be I with thee
Be thou my father, be I thy son.
Mayst thou be mine, may I be thine.
Be thou my battle-shield, be thou my sword.
Be thou my dignity, be thou my delight.
Be thou my shelter, be thou my stronghold.
Mayst thou raise me up to the company of the angels.
Be thou every good to my body and soul.
Be thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth.
Be thou solely chief love of my heart.
Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven.
Till I am able to pass into thy hands,
My treasure, my beloved through the greatness of thy love
Be thou alone my noble and wondrous estate.
I seek not men nor lifeless wealth.
Be thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life.
For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of thee.
Thy love in my soul and in my heart —
Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens.
O King of the seven heavens grant me this —
Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul.
With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,
May I be in the kingdom of heaven, O brightness of the sun.
Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations.
Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch.
O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,
O ruler of all, be thou my vision.
Modern Irish translation
Bí Thusa ’mo shúile a Rí mhóir na ndúl
Líon thusa mo bheatha mo chéadfaí ’s mo stuaim
Bí thusa i m'aigne gach oíche ’s gach lá
Im chodladh nó im dhúiseacht, líon mé le do ghrá.
Bí thusa ’mo threorú i mbriathar ’s i mbeart
Fan thusa go deo liom is coinnigh mé ceart
Glac cúram mar Athair, is éist le mo ghuí
Is tabhair domsa áit cónaí istigh i do chroí.
English version by Eleanor Hull (1912)
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
(The English Methodist version from 1964 omits verse 3.)
Alternative English version by Eleanor Hull (1912)
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art;
Be Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
Be Thou ever with me, and I with Thee, Lord;
Be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son;
Be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my whole Armour, be Thou my true Might;
Be Thou my soul's Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r,
O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;
Be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O high King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, Thou heaven's bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict'ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be Thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
Modern Scottish Gaelic translation
Dèan dhòmh-sa tuigse,
Cuir soills’ air mo smuain;
Dh’iarrainn gur Tu
Bhiodh ’gam stiùreadh gach uair;
Làmh rium ’s an oidhche
Is romham ’s an tràth,
Réidh rium ’sa mhadainn
Agus glèidh mi tro’n latha.
Ceartas do m’ bhriathran
Agus fìrinn do m’ bheul,
Thusa toirt iùil dhomh
’S mi dlùth riut, a Dhè.
Athair, thoir gràdh dhomh,
Gabh mis’ thugad fhéin;
Cum mi ri d’ thaobh
Is bi daonnan ’nam chrè.
Dìon mi, a Thighearna,
Ri mo chliathaich ’s gach feachd;
Cùm mi fo d’ sgiath
’S thoir dhomh misneachd is neart,
Fasgadh do m’ anam
Is mi ri d’uchd dlùth;
Treòraich mi dhachaigh,
Dhè chumhachdaich Thu.
Beartas cha’n fhiach leam;
No miann chlann ’nan daoin’,
Thusa na m’ fhianais
Fad làithean mo shaogh’il
Thusa, Dhè ghràsmhoir,
A-mhàin na mo chrìdh’,
Le blàths is gràdh sìorraidh,
Mo Thighearna ’s mo Rìgh.
Other languages
*Bahasa Indonesia – "Kaulah, ya Tuhan, Surya Hidupku", "Dikau, Tuhan, Jadilah Impianku"
*Chinese – "成為我異象"
*Czech – "Buď mojí nadějí"
*Danish – "Herre, at se dig"
*Dutch – "Wees Mijn Verlangen"
*Esperanto – "Donu vizion de Vi, Di-Sinjor'"
*Finnish – "Silmäni aukaise, Jumalani"
*French – "Qu'en toi je vive, Seigneur bien aimé"
*German – "Steh mir vor Augen"
*Greek – "Γίνε όραμα μου Θεέ της καρδίας"
*Hungarian – "Légy te menedékem"
*Italian – " Sii la mia Visione"
*Japanese – "きみはわれのまぼろし", " こころみの世にあれど"
*Korean – "내 맘의 주여 소망 되소서"
*Nepali – "होऊ मेरो दर्शन"
*Norwegian – "Deg å få skode"
*Polish – "On moim Panem"
*Portuguese – "Sê minha vida, ó Deus de Poder"
*Romanian – "Fii a mea lumină"
*Spanish – "Oh Dios, Sé Mi Visión", "Oh Dios de mi alma, Sé Mi Visión"
*Swedish – "Närmare mig (Herre, du min klippa)"
*Thai – "โอ้เจ้าแห่งดวงจิต"
* Taiwanese (Hokkien) - "主Tiàm我心內,無驚惶自在"
*Ukrainian – "Будь мені, Боже, метою життя"
*Welsh – "Bydd yn Welediad fy nghalon a'm byw"
See also
* Saint Patrick's Breastplate
"Saint Patrick's Breastplate" is an Old Irish prayer of protection of the " lorica" type (hence "Lorica Sancti Patricii", or "The Lorica of Saint Patrick") attributed to Saint Patrick.
Its title is given as ''Faeth Fiada'' in the 11th-century ''Li ...
* Lord of All Hopefulness
"Lord of all Hopefulness" is a Christian hymn written by English writer Jan Struther, which was published in the enlarged edition of ''Songs of Praise'' (Oxford University Press) in 1931. The hymn is used in liturgy, at weddings and at the ...
, a hymn sung to the same tune
Notes
References
External links
Manuscripts
* National Library of Ireland:�
NLI MS G 3, f. 22r
~ ''Rab tu mu baíli''
* Royal Irish Academy:�
~ ''Rob tu mo boile''
Editions
Rop tú mo baile
(Normalized edition by Gerard Murphy—based on the two manuscripts—at CELT
The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
)
Rop tú mo baile – pronunciation
– soundfile by Dennis King
Hymn
CPDL.org Article
*
Modern version of the hymn by the band The Chairman Dances
Utah Baroque Ensemble Version with Lyrics at Your-Church.com
tune information and sheet music on TradTune.com
The Irish Blessing 2020
(a recording of the Hull 1912 translation, by over 300 churches in Ireland during the Covid19 pandemic)
{{Authority control
Irish Christian hymns
Peter Jöback songs
Sissel Kyrkjebø songs
Songs in Irish
Van Morrison songs