I vow to thee my country
I vow to thee my country is a hymn to the music of Gustav Holst's "Jupiter" from his Planets Suite. The lyric was written by Cecil A. Spring-Rice. The tune is also known as Thaxted.
Diana, Princess of Wales, requested this hymn be sung at her wedding, saying that it had "always been a favourite since schooldays". It was also sung at her funeral in 1997.
- I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
- Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
- The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
- That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
- The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
- The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
- And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
- Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
- We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
- Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
- And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
- And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
