The voice from Galilee

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad,
I found in Him a resting place,
And he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Behold, I freely give
The living water,—thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quench'd, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
I am this dark world's light,
Look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
And all thy day be bright.
I look'd to Jesus, and I found
In Him, my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I'll walk,
Till traveling days are done.

—Horatius Bonar (on Matt 11:28; John 4:10, 13–14; 8:12)
From Hymns of Faith and Hope (First Series), 1865.


Tune: "Third Mode Melody," Thomas Tallis (arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams)

About the Author

Horatius Bonar (1808–1889) was a Scottish minister, first in the Established Church, and later in the Free Church of Scotland. First gaining reputation for his "Kelso Tracts," he wrote much in both prose and hymnody. Of the hundreds of hymns he wrote, this is probably his best known.

Thoughts

I can't remember how I first found this hymn, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Ralph Vaughan Williams' 1906 English Hymnal. Perhaps I was looking for tunes he had written, as a friend (who had the hymnal) had very highly recommended him. In any case, I somehow stumbled across this gem. I don't know how to wordily describe my love for this hymn; it is comforting, with no descriptor beyond that.

There are three tunes mainly associated with it (though how I got the word mainly in there, I don't know). By far, the most popular is John B. Dykes' "Vox Dilecti" (courtesy Hymnary.org):

I don't like the key change in the middle. The first part is great, the second part is OK, the transition is too awkward for my ears. The second most popular (according to Hymnary.org, about half as popular) is Kingsfold, arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams (courtesy Hymnary.org):

You may know this tune better, if you are into Irish/Celtic/whatever-genre-it-is music, as the same tune that goes with The Star of the County Down. This is a fine choice, but I think the third most popular is the best: Thomas Tallis's "Third Mode Melody" as arranged by Vaughan Williams (above). It captures the weariness of the first stanza while being somehow also refreshing.

For a recommended recording, what better than Vaughan Williams' own Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis? Enjoy it below, as recorded by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.

(If you don't see an audio player directly above this message, it's because your browser doesn't support MP3s. [Dangit, Firefox!] Use this direct link to listen instead.)