Be Thou My Vision

"Be Thou My Vision"
Song
Published	8th century (trans. 1912)
Genre	Hymn
Writer(s)	unknown (trans. Eleanor Hull)
Language	Old Irish English Irish Scottish Gaelic

"Be Thou My Vision" (Old Irish: Rop tú mo baile or Rob tú mo bhoile) is a traditional hymn from Ireland. The most well known English version, with some minor variations, was translated by Eleanor Hull and published in 1912. In 1919, the lyrics were set to the tune of the Irish folk tune "Slane", to which the song is sung to this day, both in English and Irish. The song has often been attributed to the sixth-century Irish Christian poet Saint Dallan, though some scholars cite an eighth-century date.

The original Old Irish text, "Rop tú mo Baile" is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century. The text had been a part of Irish monastic tradition for centuries before its setting to music. There are two manuscripts, one at the National Library of Ireland, and a second at the Royal Irish Academy. Both manuscripts date from about the 10th or 11th century.

The prayer belongs to a type known as a lorica, a prayer for protection.

It was translated from Old Irish into English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, M.A., in Ériu (the journal of the School of Irish Learning), in 1905. The English text was first versified by Eleanor Hull, in 1912, and is now the most common text used.

The original texts of the now-called "Be Thou My Vision" are in Old Irish similar still in style to Modern Irish.

The hymn has been translated into Modern Irish many times. The most popular is that by Aodh Ó Dúgain of Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Two verses of his translation were recorded by his granddaughter Moya Brennan – the first time any part of his text has been publicly recorded. Since then, those two verses have been recorded by many artists including Roma Downey and Aoife and Iona. These verses are very close translations to the first two of the Old Irish text above.

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Wikipedia