Singing the Living Tradition ‎#5

5. It Is Something to Have Wept

1 It is something to have wept as we have wept,
and something to have done as we have done;
it is something to have watched when all have slept,
and seen the stars which never see the sun.

2 It is something to have smelt the mystic rose,
although it break and leave the thorny rods;
it is something to have hungered once as those
must hunger who have ate the bread of gods:

3 To have known the things that from the weak are furled,
the fearful ancient passions, strange and high;
it is something to be wiser than the world,
and something to be older than the sky.

4 Lo, and blessed are our ears for they have heard:
yea, blessed are our eyes for they have seen:
let the thunder break on human, beast, and bird,
and lightning. It is something to have been.

Text Information

• First Line: It is something to have wept as we have wept
• Title: It Is Something to Have Wept
• Author: Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 1874-1936
• Meter: 11.10.11.10.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1993
• Topic: Transcending Mystery and Wonder: The Celebration of Life; Integrity; Spirituality and Spiritual Growth; Wisdom and Understanding

Tune Information

• Name: KEITH
• Composer: Robert L. Sanders, b. 1906
• Meter: 11.10.11.10.
• Key: f minor
• Copyright: © 1964 Beacon Press