“I Vow to Thee, My Country” is a British patriotic hymn.
Sir Cecil Spring Rice wrote the poem “The City of God” or “The Two Fatherlands” in either 1908 or 1912. The poem described how a Christian owes his loyalties to both his homeland and the heavenly kingdom.
In 1908, he was posted at the British Embassy in Stockholm.
In 1912, he was appointed the Ambassador to the United States but when Britain joined the war against Germany, he was called back to Great Britain. Shortly before his January 1918 departure from the US, he re-wrote the hymn and renamed it “Urbs Dei” or “The City of God”, altering the first verse.
In both versions, the first verse invokes Britain or “my country” and the second verse, the Kingdom of Heaven.
He sent the text in a letter to William Jennings Bryan, shortly before his February 1918 death.
Gustav Holst set the poem to music in 1921 and the melody became known as “Thaxted”.
The hymn was first published in the 1925/6 hymns the Songs of Praise and has appeared in a number of additional British hymnals.
Hi, Leagh, I was looking for poetry on the theme of remembrance for my poetry club and was looking specially for the words of I vow to thee my Country. – by Cecil Spring Rice and was delighted to open you blog site. How refreshing and purposeful it is. I have a connection to this poem as through oral history my dad’s family was related to the Spring Rice’s of Ireland, and I was given the ‘Spring’ as my middle name. Doing genealogy, I am aware that it was a fashion to give children their mothers and fathers surnames along with their Christian names. I will continue to follow you on Facebook and will often give a thumbs up. I love the last paragraph of the Welcome !!!! We are privileged to have different rolls at different times in our lives, from another child of God. Thelma Spring Rice (Andersen)