Catherine Winkworth was a hymn writer/translator/poet who lived in Bristol in the 1800s. I’ve been going to her words/translations for a lot of inspiration for hymn tunes of various kinds.

This is… between doodle and more… an upgraded doodle!  Well—a composed tune last week, a fairly quick recording, then edited and sketched in a couple more lines.  The singing and piano I recorded live in church yesterday, which unfortunately means I can’t do anything about the balance there or anything else, but it’s a lovely piano sound 🙂

lyrics

In peace and joy I now depart,
According to God’s will,
For full of comfort is my heart,
So calm and sweet and still;
So doth God His promise keep,
And death for me is but a sleep.

’T is Christ hath wrought this work for me,
Thy dear and only son,
Whom Thou hast suffer’d me to see,
And made Him surely known
As my Help when trouble’s rife,
And even in death itself my Life.

For Thou In mercy unto all
Hast set this Saviour forth;
And to His kingdom Thou dost call
The nations of the earth
Through His blessed wholesome Word,
That now in every place is heard.

He is the heathens’ saving Light,
And He will gently lead
Those who now know Thee not aright,
And in His pastures feed;
While His people’s joy He is,
Their Sun, their glory, and their bliss.