"When Irish Eyes Are Smilin' "


Be Thou my vision, O, Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Both waking and sleeping
Thy presence my light

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight
Thou my soul's shelter and Thou my high tower
Raise Thou me heavenward, O, Power of my power

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise
Thou mine in heritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only be first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art

High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, O, Bright Heaven's Son
Heart of my own heart whatever befall
Still be my vision, O, Ruler of all.

Both the lyrics and the tune of this hymn are Irish in origin and
can be traced back as far as the time of St. Patrick in 433 AD.
The translation from Old Irish to English is attributed to Mary E Byrne
in 1905 and the text was first versified by Eleanor H. Hull in 1912.