The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:15-17).
Unlike most of hymns that I hold dear in which I remember the first time hearing, I cannot say for sure when I became acquainted with Be Thou My Vision. It is, however, one of my favorite hymns. I seem to have a kindred love of the hymn, maybe due to my at least partial Celtic ancestry.
Christ is our vision, our protector, if we allow Him full control. I am going to let the Bible speak for me in this post.
Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually (Psalm 119:114-117).
Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me (Psalm 144:1-2).
Our soul waiteth for the Lord : he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. [22] Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee (Psalm 33:20-22).
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:4-5).
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
The authorship of Be Thou My Vision is somewhat speculative. Hymnology Archive states:
Although this Irish text is sometimes attributed to Saint Dallan Forgaill (c. 530–598), a beloved Irish poet who was martyred by pirates while serving at the monastery of Inniskeel, Donegal, the manuscript record reflects linguistic nuances more consistent with the Early Middle Irish period, 10th or 11th century. The oldest surviving manuscripts are as follows: two documents in the Royal Irish Academy (23 N 10, pp. 95–96, 16th century [Fig. 1], and 23 E 16, p. 344, regarded as a poor copy of the other) and one in the National Library of Ireland (ms 3, f. 22, also 15th or 16th century).
Wikipedia adds a little more discussion of the possible origin:
The original Old Irish text, “Rop tú mo Baile”, is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century.[4]However, scholars believe it was written later than that. Some date it to the 8th century;[5] others putting it as late as the 10th or 11th century.[6] A 14th-century manuscript attributed to Adhamh Ó Cianáin contains a handwritten copy of the poem in Middle Irish, and is held at the National Library of Ireland.[7] A second manuscript is at the Royal Irish Academy, dating from about the 10th or 11th century.
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.[8] The symbolic use of a battle-shield and a sword to invoke the power and protection of God draws on Saint Paul‘s Epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:16–17), 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.[9]The poem makes reference to God as “King of the Seven Heavens” and the “High King of Heaven”.[9]This depiction of the Lord God of heaven and earth as a chieftain or High King (Irish: Ard Rí) is a traditional representation in Irish literature; medieval Irish poetry typically used heroic imagery to cast God as a clan protector.[10]
Modern history of Be Thou My Vision is well known. Mary Elizabeth Byrne rendered an English translation in thirty-two lines of literal prose in 1905. Eleanor Henrietta Hull, president of the Irish Literacy Society converted Byrne’s rendition to the verses we have today in 1912.
The usual melody for Be Thou My Vision is an Irish folk tune known as “Slane” in hymnals.
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.
Sources: Hymnology Archive, Wikipedia, WordWise Hymns, King James Bible
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