As the hart, with eager looks

Author: James Montgomery

James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >

As the hart, with eager looks. J. Montgomery. [Ps. xlii.] First published in his Songs of Zion, 1822, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines, and subsequently in various editions of his Poetical Works. It is only in limited use in Great Britain; but is given in several American collections including Songs for the Sanctuary, 1865, and others. Also in Martineau's Collections, 1840 and 1873.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)