Whakaaria mai
English words Henry Lyte 1847, Tune Trad / Carl Boberg 1886,
Origins
Tune
The tune of Whakaaria mai is the hymn How Great Thou Art, which was written in 1886 by a Swedish pastor, Carl Boberg, after he was caught in a sudden thunderstorm while out in the countryside.
O store Gud,När jag den värld beskådarSom du har skapatMed ditt allmaktsordHur där din visdomVäver livets trådarOch alla väsenMättad vid ditt bord
Då brister själenUt i lovsångs ljudO store Gud, o store Gud!
Då brister själenUt i lovsångs ljudO store Gud, o store Gud!
O great God,when I look at that worldthat you have createdwith your word of omnipotenceI see there how your wisdomweaves the threads of lifeand all creaturesare satisfied at your table
Then my soul bursts forthin the sound of praiseO great God, O great God!
Then my soul bursts forthin the sound of praiseO great God, O great God!
In time the hymn was translated into Russian and was learnt by Stuart Hine, a British missionary working in the Ukraine. Hine later translated it into English. An American preacher, Billy Graham made it well-known in English-speaking societies.
English Words
The words of Whakaaria mai are a loose translation of the last verse of “Abide with Me,” composed by Rev. Henry Francis Lyte . He wrote this hymn in 1847 as he lay dying of tuberculosis, and he survived only a further three weeks after its completion.
Rev. Henry Francis Lyte
