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Published: Monday, 29 April 2024 at 11:09 AM

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Here are the lyrics for, and some history behind, the popular Welsh hymn ‘Guide me, O thou great Redeemer’, also known as ‘Bread of Heaven’.

What are the English lyrics to ‘Guide me, o thou great redeemer’ (‘Bread of Heaven’)?

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,Pilgrim through this barren land;I am weak, but thou art mighty;Hold me with thy powerful hand:Bread of heaven, bread of heavenFeed me till I want no more.Feed me till I want no more.

Open thou the crystal fountainWhence the healing stream shall flow;Let the fiery, cloudy pillarLead me all my journey through:Strong deliverer, strong delivererBe thou still my strength and shield.Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,Bid my anxious fears subside;Death of death, and hell’s destruction,Land me safe on Canaan’s side:Songs of praises, songs of praisesI will ever give to thee.I will ever give to thee.

When was ‘Bread of Heaven’ / ‘Guide me, o thou great redeemer’ written and composed?

Famous Welsh hymn writer William Williams wrote the Welsh hymn ‘Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch’ (Lord, lead me through the wilderness), in around 1762.

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Less than 10 years later it was translated into English by Peter Williams and became known as ‘Guide me, o thou great redeemer’. It is set to the tune Cwm Rhondda, written by John Hughes in 1905.

The hymn and its lyrics are often known as ‘Bread of heaven’ because the line is repeated in the English version. The tune is also known Wales’s second national anthem (behind ‘Land of My Fathers‘) and is often performed at national events.

The hymn was also sung at both Diana Princess of Wales’s funeral and the Queen Mother’s funeral, as well as the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

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Did you know William Williams also wrote the hymn ‘Gloria in Excelsis’?

We named ‘Guide me, o thou great redeemer’ one of the best hymns of all time. It is also a popular rugby song for Welsh fans and is considered the country’s second national anthem.

What are the original Welsh lyrics to ‘Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch’?

Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch, Fi, bererin gwael ei wedd, Nad oes ynof nerth na bywyd Fel yn gorwedd yn y bedd: Hollalluog, Hollalluog, Ydyw’r Un a’m cwyd i’r lan. Ydyw’r Un a’m cwyd i’r lan

Agor y ffynhonnau melus’N tarddu i maes o’r Graig y sydd;Colofn dân rho’r nos i’m harwain,A rho golofn niwl y dydd;Rho i mi fanna, Rho i mi fanna,Fel na bwyf yn llwfwrhau.Fel na bwyf yn llwfwrhau.

Pan yn troedio glan Iorddonen,Par i’m hofnau suddo i gyd;Dwg fi drwy y tonnau geirwonDraw i Ganaan – gartref clyd:Mawl diderfyn. Mawl diderfynFydd i’th enw byth am hyn.Fydd i’th enw byth am hyn.