Hymns and Tunes 1876 56
Hymn 56
1HOW shall the young secure their hearts,
And guard their lives from sin ?
Thy word the choicest rules imparts
To keep the conscience clean.
2'Tis like the sun, a heavenly light,
That guides us all the day ;
And through the dangers of the night,
A lamp to lead our way.
3Thy precepts make me truly wise ;
I hate the sinner's road ;
I hate my own vain thoughts that rise,
But love thy law, my God !
4Thy word is everlasting truth ;
How pure is every page !
That holy book shall guide my youth,
And well support my age.
- Also sung to
- Maitland (Hymns and Tunes 1886 #183)
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 8.6.8.6
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 73% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABAC
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary
Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.