Scripture Verse

I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. Isaiah 42:16

Introduction

Words: Will­iam E. Glad­stone, May 1836. In 1898, Glad­stone’s wife con­trib­ut­ed a 10-stan­za poe­m, be­gin­ning Lord, as Thy tem­ple’s por­tals close, to Good Words (page 483). The text be­low, a cen­to of verses 3, 4 & 5 from the orig­in­al, ap­peared in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 322.

Music: Lam­beth (Ak­er­oyd) Sam­uel Ak­e­royd, in the Di­vine Com­pan­ion, 1722 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know Ak­e­royd’s full name, or where to get a good pic­ture of him (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898)

Lyrics

O lead my blindness by the hand,
Lead me to Thy familiar feast,
Not here or now to understand,
Yet even here and now to taste,
How the eter­nal Word of Heav’n
On earth in broken bread is giv’n.

We, who this holy precinct round
In one adoring circle kneel,
May we in one intent be bound,
And one serene devotion feel;
And grow around Thy sacred shrine
Like tendrils of the deathless Vine.

We, who with one blest food are fed,
Into one body may we grow,
And one pure life from Thee, the Head,
Informing all the members flow;
One pulse be felt in every vein,
One law of pleasure and of pain.