Hymn

When Through the Torn Sail

Metre 12.12.12.12

When through the torn sail the wild tempest is streaming,

When o'er the dark wave the red lightning is gleaming,

Nor hope lends a ray the poor seaman to cherish,

We fly to our Maker: "Help, Lord, or we perish!"

O Jesus, once rocked on the breast of the billow,

Aroused by the shriek of despair from Thy pillow,

Now seated in glory, the mariner cherish,

Who cries in his anguish, "Help, Lord, or we perish!"

And O, when the whirlwind of passion is raging,

When sin in our hearts its wild warfare is waging,

Arise in Thy strength, Thy redeemèd to cherish;

Rebuke the destroyer: "Help, Lord, or we perish!"

Amen.

When Through the Torn Sail — Text from The Hymnal and Order of Service, 1926. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/when-through-the-torn-sail

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Questions about this hymn

Who wrote When Through the Torn Sail?

The words of When Through the Torn Sail were written by Reginald Heber; the version here was published in 1926. The library holds 13 more hymns by Reginald Heber, including A Warning From the Grave and Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Is When Through the Torn Sail public domain?

Yes. The words here are taken from The Hymnal and Order of Service, published in 1926. 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 When Through the Torn Sail?

When Through the Torn Sail is in 12.12.12.12. Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, The Voice of Free Grace.