Scripture Verse

I am the good shepherd. John 10:11

Introduction

Words: Ma­ria G. Saf­fe­ry, Po­ems on Sac­red Sub­jects (Lon­don: Ham­il­ton & Ad­ams, 1834), pag­es 172–73.

Music: Bing­ham, ano­ny­mous (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know the com­pos­er, or where to get a good pic­ture of him or Saf­fe­ry,

Lyrics

There is a lit­tle lone­ly fold,
Whose flock one shep­herd keeps,
Through sum­mer’s heat and win­ter’s cold,
With eye that nev­er sleeps.

By ev­il beast, or burn­ing sky,
Or damp of mid­night air—
Not one in all that flock shall die
Beneath that shep­herd’s care.

For if, un­heed­ing or be­guiled,
In dan­ger’s path they roam,
His pi­ty fol­lows through the wild
And guards them safe­ly home.

O gen­tle Shep­herd! still be­hold
Thy help­less charge in me;
And take a wan­der­er to Thy fold
That tremb­ling turns to Thee.