I was listening to Libera’s recording of I vow to thee my country, sung to the tune written by Gustav Holst known as Thaxted which I had recently purchased on iTunes.

Wanting to know more about the lyrics, having sung them many times before – but never having actually looked before I turned to Wikipedia (as one does nowadays).

The full words of the poem written by Sir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice GCMG GCVO are:

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

I heard my country calling, away across the sea,
Across the waste of waters she calls and calls to me.
Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head,
And round her feet are lying the dying and the dead.
I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns,
I haste to thee my mother, a son among thy sons.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

I’ve never seen verse two before. Although it was originally written thinking about the losses of the First World War, it is coming to my thoughts that it could perhaps be used in the present moment with so many British and other countries’ servicemen dying overseas, particularly in Afghanistan.