|
"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a hymn traditionally associated with seafarers, particularly in the maritime armed services. Written in 1860, its author William Whiting was inspired by the dangers of the sea described in Psalm 107. It was popularized by the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in the late 19th century, and variations of it were soon adopted by many branches of the armed services in the United Kingdom and the United States. Services who have adapted the hymn include the Royal Marines, Royal Air Force, the British Army, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Marine Corps, as well as many navies of the British Commonwealth. Accordingly, it is known by many names, variously referred to as the Hymn of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, the Royal Navy Hymn, the United States Navy Hymn (or just The Navy Hymn), and sometimes by the last line of its first verse, "For Those in Peril on the Sea." The hymn has a long tradition in civilian maritime contexts as well, being regularly invoked by ship's chaplains and sung during services on ocean crossings. ==Origin== The original hymn was written in 1860 by William Whiting, an Anglican churchman from Winchester, Great Britain. Whiting grew up near the ocean on the coasts of England, and at the age of thirty-five had felt his life spared by God when a violent storm nearly claimed the ship he was travelling on, instilling a belief in God's command over the rage and calm of the sea. As headmaster of the Winchester College Choristers' School some years later, he was approached by a student about to travel to the United States, who confided in Whiting an overwhelming fear of the ocean voyage. Whiting shared his experiences of the ocean, wrote the hymn to "anchor his faith".〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/eternal-father-strong-to-save )〕 In writing it, Whiting is generally thought to have been inspired by Psalm 107, which describes the power and fury of the seas in great detail: :Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. :They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. :For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. :They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. ::''Psalm 107: 23-26'' Within a year the text appeared in the influential first edition of ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'' (HA&M) in 1861 and its circulation became widespread throughout England. The text was substantially revised by the compilers of that edition. In response Whiting continued to revise his own text, releasing another version in 1869 and third in 1874, the last one incorporating most of the suggested changes by HA&M. Meanwhile, John B. Dykes, an Anglican clergyman, composed the tune "Melita" to accompany the HA&M version of 1861. Dykes was a well-known composer of nearly three hundred hymn tunes, many of which are still in use today. "Melita" is an archaic term for Malta, an ancient seafaring nation which has been a colony of the British Empire. It was the site of a shipwreck, mentioned in Acts of the Apostles (chapters 27–28), involving the Apostle Paul. The original words of the 1861 version are: :Eternal Father, strong to save, :Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, :Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep :Its own appointed limits keep; :Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, :For those in peril on the sea! :O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard :And hushed their raging at Thy word, :Who walkedst on the foaming deep, :And calm amidst its rage didst sleep; :Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, :For those in peril on the sea! :Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood :Upon the chaos dark and rude, :And bid its angry tumult cease, :And give, for wild confusion, peace; :Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, :For those in peril on the sea! :O Trinity of love and power! :Our brethren shield in danger's hour; :From rock and tempest, fire and foe, :Protect them wheresoe'er they go; :Thus evermore shall rise to Thee :Glad hymns of praise from land and sea. Certain verses have been changed in modern hymnals for various reasons. The first verse refers to God the Father's forbidding the waters to flood the earth as described in Psalm 104. The second verse refers to Jesus' miracles of stilling a storm and walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. The third verse references the Holy Spirit's role in the creation of the earth in the Book of Genesis, while the final verse is a reference to Psalm 107. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eternal Father, Strong to Save」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|