Arthur Christopher Benson (1862-1925)
Land of Hope and Glory
(1) 1902 Version: VI. Land of Hope and Glory. Finale (Contralto Solo and Tutti)
1Land of hope and glory, Mother of the free,
2How may we extol thee, who are born of thee?
3Truth and Right and Freedom, each a holy gem,
4Stars of solemn brightness, weave thy diadem.
5Tho' thy way be darkened, still in splendour drest,
6As the star that trembles o'er the liquid West.
7Throned amid the billows, throned inviolate,
8Though hast reigned victorious, thou has smiled at fate.
9Land of hope and glory, Fortress of the free,
10How may we extol thee, praise thee, honour thee?
11Hark, a mighty nation maketh glad reply;
12Lo, our lips are thankful, lo, our hearts are high!
13Hearts in hope uplifted, loyal lips that sing;
14Strong in faith and freedom, we have crowned our King!
and performed by Edward Hamilton,
1Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crowned
2God make thee mightier yet!
3On Sov'ran brows, belov'd, renown'd,
4Once more thy crown is set.
5Thine equal laws, by freedom gained,
6Have ruled thee well and long;
7By Freedom gained, by Truth maintain'd,
8Thine Empire shall be strong.
9 Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,
10 How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
11 Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set,
12 God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
13 God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
(3) 1914 Version
1Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crowned
2God make thee mightier yet!
3On Sov'ran brows, belov'd, renown'd,
4Once more thy crown is set.
5Thine equal laws, by freedom gained,
6Have ruled thee well and long;
7By Freedom gained, by Truth maintain'd,
8Thine Empire shall be strong.
9Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,
10How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
11Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set,
12God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
13God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
14Thy fame is ancient as the days,
15As Ocean large and wide;
16A pride that dares, and heeds not praise,
17A stern and silent pride.
18Not that false joy that dreams content
19With what our sires have won;
20The blood a hero sire hath spent
21Still nerves a hero son.
22Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,
23How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?
24Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set,
25God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
26God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.
Notes
1] Elgar used the tune of his Pomp and Circumstance, no. 1
(1901), for this, the last chorus of the "Coronation Ode," for which the
contralto soloist was Muriel Foster (Kennedy, 171). The sickness
of the new King Edward VII postponed his coronation, and thus
the premier of the Elgar-Benson piece (intended for June 2)
until the fall. Different words had been written for Clara Butt -- here
the second version -- who performed it on June 2, 1902, before the
original libretto was public. This became the unofficial second British national
anthem. Elgar and Benson added two more stanzas -- here the third version --
in 1914 to make the song suitable for the times, Britain's entry into
World War I. See Jerrold Northrop Moore, Edward Elgar: Letters of a
Lifetime (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990): 277-83.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: (1) Arthur C. Benson and Edward Elgar,
Coronation Ode (London and New York: Boosey, 1902): [xi] (text) and
70-80 (music). M 1533 E38 op. 44 Music Library. (2) version created for
Clara Butt in 1902 and recorded by her
in 1912, as well as performed by Edward Hamilton and
recorded Oct. 28, 1914;
(3) post-1914 version (The Times [London, 1914]), for which see the Elgar
Birthplace Web site.
First publication date:
10
June
1902
Publication date note: (1) Oct. 2, 1902, at Sheffield; (2) June 2, 1902, in London; (3) revised 1914
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 2001
Recent editing: 1:2002/10/5*1:2002/10/5
Composition date:
1
April
1902
Composition date note: April 1, 1902 (Michael Kennedy, Portrait of Elgar, 2nd edn. [London: Oxford University Press, 1982]: 170)
Rhyme: couplets
Other poems by Arthur Christopher Benson
