Sweet as a Shepherd's Tuneful Reed

Top Media Text Author Text Info Notes Tune Timeline Page Scans Instances

Sweet as the Shepherd's tuneful reed

Author: Walter Shirley
Tune: PALESTINE (Mazzinghi)
Published in 14 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Sweet as the shepherd’s tuneful reed
From Sion’s mount I heard the sound:
Gay sprang the flow’rets of the mead,
And gladdened Nature smiled around.
The voice of peace salutes mine ear;
Christ’s lovely voice perfumes the air.

2 Peace, troubled soul, whose plaintive moan
Hath taught these rocks the note of woe;
Cease thy complaint, suppress thy groan,
And let thy tears forget to flow;
Behold, the precious balm is found,
Which lulls thy pain, which heals thy wound.

3 Come, freely come, by sin oppressed;
Unburden here the weighty load;
Here find thy refuge, and thy rest;
Safe on the bosom of thy God:
Thy God’s thy Savior—glorious word!
That sheathes th’Avenger’s glittering sword.

4 As spring the winter, day the night,
Peace sorrow’s gloom shall chase away;
And smiling joy, a seraph bright,
Shall tend thy steps and near thee stay;
While glory weaves th’immortal crown,
And waits to claim thee for her own.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #16776

All representative texts • Compare texts • Text size: Regular | Large ^ top

Author: Walter Shirley

Walter Shirley was born in 1725. He was the friend of Whitefield and Wesley. After preaching with great success in England, he received the living of Loughrea, Ireland, where he continued to exercise his ministry for many years. His last sickness was of a lingering character, and it is related of him that when no longer able to leave his house he used to preach, seated in his chair in his drawing room, to many who gladly assembled to hear. He died in 1786. He published one volume of sermons and two poems. --Annotations of the Hymnal by The Rev. Charles L. Hutchins, M.A. (1872).… Go to person page >

^ top

Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Sweet as the Shepherd's tuneful reed
Title:	Sweet as a Shepherd's Tuneful Reed
Author:	Walter Shirley
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

^ top

Notes

Sweet as the Shepherd's tuneful reed. W. Shirley. [Spring.] Published in The Collection of Hymns sung in the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapels, Bath, W. Gye, N. D. (circa 1773), No. 86, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines. In common with all the hymns in that Collection it is anonymous; but in the Life of the Countess, 1839, vol. ii. p. 291, it is definitely stated to be by W. Shirley. The most widely known form of this hymn begins with stanzas ii., "Peace, troubled soul, whose plaintive moan." It is composed of stanzas ii., iii., and appeared in the American Prayer Book Collection, 1826, No. 130. It is repeated in several American hymn-books.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

^ top