Be still, my soul: The Lord is on your side

Being still and striving make up one of the paradoxes of the Christian life. In personal terms it is illustrated by the fact that the athlete, missionary and 1924 Olympic gold medallist Eric Liddell counted this his favourite hymn, and treasured it most notably at the time of his death in a wartime internment camp in China in 1945. The words date from a century earlier; deliberately or not, perhaps they also embody not only Psalm 46:10, but also the paradox of Exodus 14:13–16, or Isaiah 40:31 where the ‘waiting’ is not a mere preliminary to the flying, running and walking, but a concurrent condition. At any rate, C[K]atharina von Schlegel’s hymn Stille, mein Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen was published in 1752 and headed ‘Cross and consolation.’ Jane L Borthwick’s translation came in 1855, in Hymns from the Land of Luther; this time the heading was ‘Submission’, with a reference to Luke 21:19. Verbal changes have been made for Praise! at 2.6 and 3.6, formerly ‘his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below’ and ‘all safe and blessèd we shall meet …’ With this text the book moves into its next section, on ‘Submission and Trust.’

Cliff Knight says that the hymn ‘owes much of its limited popularity to the tune FINLANDIA.’ This may (in 1994) have under-rated its considerable use in many current hymnals. Less successfully it has been set to Thiman’s REJOICE, O PEOPLE, but the melody from Jean Sibelius has proved a natural partner, ‘giving the hymn a new lease of life’ (Frank Colquhoun). First set to these words in the 1927 Revised Church Hymnary, its roots are in his musical accompaniment to an 1899 pageant for the (Finnish) Press Pension Celebrations. This became a demonstration in support of a free press against Russian oppression. The music for the 6th and final tableau, called ‘Finland awakes’ was revised a year later as Finlandia, an orchestral tonepoem intended to convey the beauty of his native land. One of the great moments of an otherwise less-than-momentous work is ‘the emergence, from the turbulence and struggle of the beginning, of this chorale-like melody on the woodwind, expressive of calm and constancy in the midst of adversity’—W Milgate, who adds ‘Do not let the singing become maudlin, but keep it moving …’ At 769 the tune is set to a text with an extra syllable in lines 1, 3 and 5, as it has been since the 1950s.

b Edinburgh, Scotland 1813, d Edinburgh 1897. A member of the Free Ch of Scotland and known for her unassuming gentleness, she was encouraged by her father (James, an insurance office manager) to develop her linguistic gifts together with those of her younger sister Sarah. Jane travelled widely in Europe and in partnership with Sarah (who became Mrs Findlater) between 1854 to 1862 published 4 vols of Hymns from the Land of Luther. Her versions were signed simply ‘H.L.L.’, from the book’s title. She contributed more than 60 items and her sister 53. Further texts of hers appeared in Thoughts for Thoughtful Hours ( 1857/1863) and The Family Treasury, while 1875 saw the publication of her translations from the poetry of Meta Heusser-Schweitzer (1797–1876). Next in popularity to the one hymn chosen for Praise! is the version from Zinzendorf, Jesus, still lead on, till our rest be won. 4 of her translations feature in the 1951 Congregational Praise and the 1962 Baptist Hymn Book, as also in CH. No.754.

b Germany 1697, d 17—?. Much about her life is unknown; she lived at Cöthen and appears to have been a significant spiritual leader in days of revival, But while one tradition (as in Julian) says that she was attached to the local ducal court, others describe her as head of an evangelical (Lutheran) religious community in the town. Whichever is the true account, she became a contributor to the Cöthnische Lieder (‘Songs from Cöthen’) of 1744 and 1752, and to a further collection in the latter of these dates. Of the 29 hymns ascribed to her, only one has entered English-language hymn-books in translation, but this single text has been in wide use; see also the notes to Jane Borthwick. No.754.