Pastor and Person

Because hymn poems aim to express the faith of a singing community, most of mine arise from theological reflection and attentive listening to such communities. Hymns drawn from personal experience are a very small part of my output. Occasionally, however, personal experience leads to a hymn designed for a community's song. When my mother, Mabel Wren (née Blann), died in April 2001, I felt the need for a hymn that could easily be sung by the varied group that gathered for the funeral service. Though I would normally avoid a tune so strongly associated with an existing lyric as St Anne, on this occasion I chose it and wrote for it, knowing that its wide familiarity would make it easy to sing. Hoping that the echoes of Watts's "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past" would be positive, not distracting, I aimed at clarity and simplicity and, as always, looked for simple language that would suit the particular occasion yet have wider resonance. Here is the text, for your evaluation:

Deep Origin of everything,
our Ever-Present Friend,
in grief and hope your praise we sing,
aware that life must end.

Our friend has died. We say her name
and each our stories tell
to honor all that she became,
give thanks, and say farewell.

Our glimpses of her words and ways
are fleeting, and too few,
but you have numbered all her days
and know her through and through.

Your memory holds all we were
and are and yet will be,
not as an echo or a blur
but in reality.

Retrieve, repair, redeem, restore,
until again we meet,
love's far dimensions to explore,
transformed, and made complete.

            Brian Wren, Christ our Hope

Poetic Meter: 8.6.8.6—Common Meter. For her/she substitute him/he as needed. [Copyright © Hope Publishing Company 2001. All rights reserved. Used by permission]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Contents

Academics | Admissions | Alumni | Works | Listen | Look | Contact | Index | Home | Yale University

Copyright © 2003-2005.  Yale Institute of Sacred Music
409 Prospect Street,   New Haven, Connecticut 06511
Telephone: 203 432 5180    Fax: 203 432 5296