Lyr Add: To be a Pilgrim:Secular Hymn?

Subject: Lyr Add: TO BE A PILGRIM (John Bunyan)
From: Mr Happy
Date: 29 Apr 09 - 06:42 AM

Here's one of the few examples of a Christian hymn which doesn't have any mention of god or Christ in its original form

To be a pilgrim John Bunyan, Pil­grim's Prog­ress, 1684

Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather
There's no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He'll with a giant fight,
He will have a right
To be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He'll fear not what men say,
He'll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.

***************

Percy Dearmer modified it in 1906 to add a more religious flavour

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: To be a Pilgrim:Secular Hymn?
From: greg stephens
Date: 29 Apr 09 - 07:35 AM

John Bunyan was writing in allegorical form, so there is no mention of God, even though he was a devout believer. The strict nature of the allegory slips once in the Pilgrim's Progress, when Christian does actually pray. But that is a momentary lapse, basically he sticks to the concept, so there is no God or Christian workship about. It is all symnolic.
So, it is very much not a secular hymn. It is a Christian symbolic hymn. Though you can take it whatever way you like if it suits you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: To be a Pilgrim:Secular Hymn?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Apr 09 - 12:12 PM

The original is much more forceful than the Dearmer re-write.
Cyberhymnal posts both versions; Midis are provided for three different tunes.

Probably covered already in Mudcat, but the 'Search' is down.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: To be a Pilgrim:Secular Hymn?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 29 Apr 09 - 07:32 PM

It's a tune which seems to have been used for more than one song: have heard several songs to this tune, and every time someone will say "That's "To Be a Pilgrim" ".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: To be a Pilgrim:Secular Hymn?
From: The Doctor
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 04:30 AM

That's because it was collected by Vaughan Williams in the village of Monkland, hence the name he gave to the tune when he used it in The English Hymnal for The Pilgrim's Hymn. He didn't collect the words at the same time, but it has long been associated with The Blacksmith, and also with Our Captain Cried All Hands, both of which may in fact be parts of the same longer song. Shirley Collins certainly recorded a version of The Blacksmith that includes verses normally considered part of Our Captain.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: To be a Pilgrim:Secular Hymn?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 30 Apr 09 - 06:48 AM

This is an area that interests me particularly. Being essentially a humanist, there are occasionally feelings that I wish to write about that could easily be interpreted (wrongly) as "religious". I then go out of my way to construct the song avoiding religious references, but I nevertheless often use hymn-like tunes. "Miracle of Life" is one such, as are "Those Who Also Serve", "Ending Of The Day" and "Countryside Like This". The latter has given me particular satisfaction, as it is in fact being used as a non-denominational hymn at assembly in a certain school in Essex; yet it is the only one with any reference to "God", albeit in a non-religious, Dave Allen-like manner: "In countryside like this, your God comes out to greet you..." - which Cloudstreet promptly changed to "dog" of course!