Scripture Verse

God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him may not perish, but have life eternal. John 3:16

Introduction

Words: He­len Hunt Jack­son. First pub­lished in the short sto­ry The El­der’s Wife, in Scrib­ner’s Ma­ga­zine, un­der the pseu­do­nym Saxe Holm. The first book edi­tion was in Saxe Holm’s Sto­ries (New York: Charles Scrib­ner’s Sons, 1873), page 161.

Music: Al­pha­ret­ta A. H. How­ard, in The Church Hym­na­ry, ed­it­ed by Ed­win A. Be­dell (New York: Charles E. Mer­rill, 1893), page 457 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

If you know How­ard’s full name, or where to get a good pho­to of him (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Helen Hunt Jackson (1830–1885)

Lyrics

Like a cra­dle rock­ing, rock­ing,
⁠Silent, peace­ful, to and fro,
Like a mo­ther’s sweet looks drop­ping
⁠On the lit­tle face be­low,
Hangs the green earth, swing­ing, turn­ing,
⁠Jarless, noise­less, safe and slow;
Falls the light of God’s face bend­ing
⁠Down and watch­ing us be­low.

And as fee­ble babes that suf­fer,
⁠Toss and cry, and will not rest,
Are the ones the ten­der mo­ther
⁠Holds the clos­est, loves the best,
So when we are weak and wretch­ed,
⁠By our sins weighed down, dis­tressed,
Then it is that God’s great pa­tience
⁠Holds us clos­est, loves us best.

O great Heart of God! whose lov­ing
⁠Cannot hin­dered be nor crossed;
Will not wea­ry, will not ev­en
⁠In our death it­self be lost—
Love di­vine! of such great lov­ing,
⁠Only mo­thers know the cost—
Cost of love, which all love pass­ing,
⁠Gave a Son to save the lost.