Scripture Verse

The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. Proverbs 10:7

Introduction

portrait
John Bowring (1792–1872)
National Portrait Gallery

button

Words: John Bow­ring, in A Col­lect­ion of Hymns for Pub­lic and Pri­vate Wors­hip, by John Rel­ly Beard (Lon­don: John Green, 1837), num­ber 281. Note: Ju­li­an’s first edi­tion, page 166, as­signed an 1825 date to this hymn; he cor­rect­ed the date in his se­cond edi­tion, page 1554.

Music: Roth­well (Tan­s’ur) Will­iam Tan­s’ur, 1754 (re­peats last line of each verse) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

portrait
William Tans’ur (1700–1783)

Anecdote

The sen­ti­ment of the hymn is well il­lus­trat­ed by a mag­ni­fi­cent sta­tue of ma­rble which once stood over the great gate of Car­din­al Gren­ville’s house. In one hand the fig­ure held a wine-cup, in the other an urn.

But the wine-cup was in­vert­ed and emp­ty; the urn was erect, and ov­er­flowed with pure wa­ter from the hills. And on the ped­es­tal for a mot­to was carved the sin­gle word, Du­rate, en­dure!

Robinson, p. 362

Lyrics

Earth’s tran­si­to­ry things de­cay,
Its pomps, its plea­sures pass away;
But the sweet me­mo­ry of the good
Survives in the vi­cis­si­tude.

As ’midst the ev­er roll­ing sea,
The eter­nal isles es­tab­lished be,
’Gainst which the surg­es of the main
Fret, dash, and break them­selves in vain—

As in the hea­vens, the urns di­vine,
Of gold­en light, for ev­er shine;
Though clouds may dark­en, storms may rage,
They still shine on from age to age—

So through the ocean tide of years,
The me­mo­ry of the just ap­pears;
So through the tem­pest and the gloom,
The good man’s vir­tues light the tomb.

Happy the right­eous! come what may,
Though Hea­ven dis­solve and earth de­cay;
Happy the right­eous man! for he
Belongs to im­mor­ta­li­ty.