Hymn
For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country
For thee, O dear, dear country,
Mine eyes their vigils keep;
For very love beholding
Thy holy name, they weep.
The mention of thy glory,
Is unction to the breast,
And medicine in sickness,
And love, and life, and rest.
O one, O only mansion!
O Paradise of joy!
Where tears are ever banished
And smiles have no alloy;
Thy loveliness oppresses
All human thought and heart,
And none, O Peace, O Sion,
Can sing thee as thou art.
With jasper glow thy bulwarks,
Thy streets with emeralds blaze;
The sardius and the topaz
Unite in thee their rays;
Thine ageless walls are bonded
With amethyst unpriced;
The saints build up thy fabric,
And the corner stone is Christ.
The Cross is all thy splendour,
The Crucified thy praise;
His laud and benediction
Thy ransomed people raise:
Upon the Rock of Ages
They build thy holy tower;
Thine is the victor's laurel,
And thine the golden dower.
O sweet and blessed country,
The home of God's elect!
O sweet and blessed country,
That eager hearts expect!
Jesu, in mercy bring us
To that dear land of rest;
Who art, with God the Father,
And Spirit, ever blest.
For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country — Text from The Church Hymnal, 1920. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/for-thee-o-dear-dear-country
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Questions about this hymn
Who wrote For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country?
The words of For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country are credited to Bernard, of Cluny and J. M. Neale; the version here was published in 1920. The library holds 2 more hymns by Bernard, of Cluny, including Brief Life Is Here Our Portion and The world is very evil.
Is For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from The Church Hymnal, published in 1920. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.
What is the metre of For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country?
For Thee, O Dear, Dear Country is in 7.6.7.6 D. Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, The Day of Resurrection, Go Forward, Christian Soldier and O Day of Rest and Gladness.