1 When thy soldiers take their swords,
When they speak the solemn words,
When they kneel before thee here,
Feeling thee, their Father, near;
These thy children, Lord, defend;
To their help Thy Spirit send.
2 When the world’s sharp strife is nigh,
When they hear the battle-cry,
When they rush into the fight,
Knowing not temptation’s might;
These thy children, Lord, defend;
To their zeal thy wisdom lend.
3 When their hearts are lifted high
With success or victory,
When they feel the conqu'ror’s pride;
Lest they grow self-satisfied,
These thy children, Lord, defend;
Teach their souls to thee to bend.
4 When the vows that they have made,
When the pray'rs that they have prayed,
Shall be fading from their hearts;
When their first warm faith departs;
These thy children, Lord, defend;
Keep them faithful to the end.
5 Through life’s conflicts guard us all,
Or if wounded some should fall
Ere the victory be won,
For the sake of Christ, thy Son,
These thy children, Lord, defend;
And in death thy comfort lend.
Amen.
Source: Trinity Hymnal #486
First Line: | When Thy soldiers take their swords |
Author: | Frances Mary Owen (c. 1872) |
Meter: | 7.7.7.7.7.7 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
When Thy soldiers take their swords. Frances M. Owen. [Confirmation .] Written circa 1872, and published in her Essays and Poems, 1887. It is in Hymns for the Use of the Chapel of Cheltenham Collection, 1890, &c. Frances Mary Owen, née Synge, wife of the Rev. J. A. Owen, Assistant Master at Cheltenham College, was born April 16, 1842, and died June 19, 1883.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)