Father! Thy paternal care
Has my guardian been, my guide:
Every hallowed wish and prayer
Has Thy hand of love supplied:
Thine is every thought of bliss,
Left by hours and days gone by;
Every hope Thine offspring is,
Beaming from futurity.
Every sun of splendid ray;
Every moon that shines serene;
Every morn that welcomes day;
Every evening’s twilight scene;
Every hour which wisdom brings;
Every incense at Thy shrine;
These,—and all life’s holiest things,
And its fairest,—all are Thine.
And for all, my hymns shall rise
Daily to Thy gracious throne:
Thither let my asking eyes
Turn unwearied, righteous One!
Through life’s strange vicissitude
There reposing all my care;
Trusting still, through ill and good,
Fixed, and cheered, and counselled there.
Source: A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #22
James Bowring was born at Exeter, in 1792. He possessed at an early age a remarkable power of attaining languages, and acquired some reputation by his metrical translations of foreign poems. He became editor of "The Westminster Review" in 1825, and was elected to Parliament in 1835. In 1849, he was appointed Consul at Canton, and in 1854, was made Governor of Hong Kong, and received the honour of knighthood. He is the author of some important works on politics and travel, and is the recipient of several testimonials from foreign governments and societies. His poems and hymns have also added to his reputation. His "Matins and Vespers" have passed through many editions. In religion he is a Unitarian.
--Annotations of the Hymnal, Charl… Go to person page >| First Line: | Father! Thy paternal care |
| Author: | John Bowring |
| Language: | English |
| Copyright: | Public Domain |
Father, Thy paternal care. Sir J. Bowring. [The Divine Father, the Giver of all good Gifts.] This cento is taken from his poem for the third Tuesday evening in Autumn, in his Matins and Vespers, 1823, p. 120. It is in 3 stanzas of 8 lines, and is admirably suited for Flower Services. Its use amongst the American Unitarians is extensive.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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