Be Thou My Song: Grace and Faith in Christian Poetry in the Seventeenth Century

By Kerri L Tom and Steven P. Mueller

"Be Thou my Song" is a line from seventeenth-century poet Edward Taylor. In his meditation on Philippians 2:9, Taylor finds that his ability to compose poetry falls short of his desire to glorify God, so he prays, “ That I thy glorious Praise may Trumpet right, / Be thou my Song, and make Lord, mee thy Pipe.” In one way or another, all of the poets included in the chapters of Be Thou My Song strive to convey their wonder for God' s unending grace and mercy in their own limited ways; He provides the content, the song, while the writers are merely the conduits, the pipe. By reading these poems carefully, we can share in their gratitude for how God cares for us, both here on earth and in our final heavenly home.In each chapter, you will find a poem, presented in its entirety, followed by an exploration of that poem and some questions to contemplate afterwards. The goal of these explorations is to provide readers with a deeper appreciation, a deeper understanding, and a deeper love of what each poet has given to us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: 1517 Publishing
• Release date: Mar 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9781956658750

Book preview

Cover pictureTitle page: Kerri L. Tom, Be Thou My Song, 1517 Publishing

Be Thou My Song encourages us to enrich the poverty of our own prayer and devotional life by engaging with the poetic treasury of the past. Dr. Tom is a well-seasoned and wonderful guide who carefully navigates us through the unfamiliar terrain of the old English in order to open us up to new vistas of contemplation. I heartily recommend her work both for personal and group study.

Rev. Dr. Jonathan B. Ruehs

Associate Professor of Theology

Concordia University, Irvine

In Be Thou My Song, Kerri Tom introduces the reader to several wonderful poems. These poems are thoughtfully chosen and beautifully explained. For those who struggle to appreciate poetry, Kerri provides a really helpful toolbox of sorts, instruments that the reader can apply when approaching the beautiful, yet often challenging, art of poetry. For those of us who love poetry, Kerri’s work provides a great introduction to some new poems drawn from a very important poetic era.

Dr. John J. Norton

Professor of English

Concordia University, Irvine

In Be Thou My Song, Tom offers a beautiful reading of eleven seventeenth-century religious lyrics. Her biographical introductions as well as pedagogical approach prove both erudite and accessible, but that’s not what makes this little book shine. It’s the individual readings, literary analysis that transcends the critical to offer a spiritual, joyful, even delicate understanding of how these poems spoke to the God the author addressed and the audience, then and now, inspired by them.

Dr. Marina Favila

Professor Emerita, English

James Madison University

The poems that Dr. Tom curates here bring us into private lives of prayer and praise. As she capably guides the reader through these seventeenth-century poems, we experience afresh our hardships, failures, and fears as humans and God’s love, healing, and hope for us. Capturing our physical, emotional, and spiritual turmoil in vivid verse, these Christian poets point us to God’s grace and the life of faith.

Scott Ashmon, Ph.D., M.Div.

Senior Vice President, Provost

Concordia University, Irvine

Dr. Tom’s Be Thou My Soul is a feast for the mind, heart, and soul. Readers are invited to ponder and savor eleven timeless Christian poems that transcend mere words, soaring as heartfelt prayers of gratitude, supplication, and praise to our loving Savior. Dr. Tom’s insightful commentary is a guiding companion, leading readers to a profound appreciation and personal connection to these exemplars of Christian poetry.

Jennifer Cosgrove, PhD

Professor of Psychology

Concordia University, Irvine

Be Thou My Song by Kerri L. Tom offers a great service to the church in highlighting some of the English language’s greatest poets and poems of Christian devotion. Dr. Tom, uses her extensive experience teaching English literature to make these poems from the 17th century come alive in a way that makes them accessible to readers young and old as she brings them to life with fascinating theological and linguistic observations all centered on Christ and him crucified. Pastors, teachers, and poetry buffs alike will find this book helpful in all their endeavors.

Pastor Bror Erickson

Trinity Lutheran Church

Fort Morgan, Colorado

Be Thou My Song: Grace and Faith in Christian Poetry of the Seventeenth Century © 2023 New Reformation Publications

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.

Published by:

1517 Publishing

PO Box 54032

Irvine, CA 92619-4032

Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Tom, Kerri L., author. | Mueller, Steven P., 1964- writer of foreword.

Title: Be thou my song : grace and faith in Christian poetry of the seventeenth century / Kerri L. Tom ; foreword by Steven P. Mueller.

Description: Irvine, CA : 1517 Publishing, [2024] | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: ISBN: 978-1-956658-89-7 (paperback) | 978-1-956658-75-0 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Christian poetry, English—17th century. | Christian poetry, English—17th century— History and criticism. | Lutheran Church. | Grace (Theology)—Poetry. | Faith—Poetry. | Bible— Evidences, authority, etc.—Poetry. | BISAC: POETRY / Subjects & Themes / Inspirational & Religious. | POETRY / Subjects & Themes / General. | RELIGION / Christian Living / General.

Classification: LCC: PR1195.C48 T66 2024 | DDC: 821.00803823—dc23

Printed in the United States of America.

Cover art by Zachariah James Stuef.

This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

Dedicated to my best poetry, Riley and Clarissa

CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication Page

Foreword

Chapter One - An Introduction to Poetry

Chapter Two - May 13, 1657 by Anne Bradstreet

Chapter Three - Upon the Burning of Our House by Anne Bradstreet

Chapter Four - Faith by George Herbert

Chapter Five - Sepulchre by George Herbert

Chapter Six - The Elixir by George Herbert

Chapter Seven - Divine Meditation 1 by John Donne

Chapter Eight - A Hymn to God the Father by John Donne

Chapter Nine - Amoretti 68 by Edmund Spenser

Chapter Ten - Preparatory Meditation 2.26 by Edward Taylor

Chapter Eleven - Preparatory Meditation 1.8 by Edward Taylor

Chapter Twelve - When I consider how my light is spent by John Milton

Chapter Thirteen - Final Thoughts, Further Readings

Works Cited

Foreword

To be perfectly candid, I have never searched libraries or perused bookstores for books of