Hushed was the evening hymn,
The temple courts were dark,
The lamp was burning dim
Before the sacred ark,
When suddenly a voice divine
Rang through the silence of the shrine.

O give me Samuel's ear-
The open ear, O Lord !
Alive and quick to hear
Each whisper of Thy word;
Like him to answer at Thy call,
And to obey Thee first of all.

O give me Samuel's heart !
A lowly heart, that waits
When in Thy house Thou art;
Or watches at Thy gates
By day and night—a heart that still
Moves at the breathing of Thy will.

O give me Samuel's mind !
A sweet unmurmuring faith,
Obedient and resigned
To Thee in life and death;
That I may read with childlike eyes,
Truths that are hidden from the wise.

This hymn is inspired by the account in 1 Samuel chapter 3, especially verse 10 which says, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." It comes from the account where the boy Samuel hears a voice and presumes that it is his master Eli the High Priest at Shiloh, who was by then old with poor eyesight. Only to discover that it was the voice of the LORD. It is this act and example of listening that comes across so clearly in the second verse.

The words are written by the poet and Presbyterian minister James Drummond Burns (1823-1864) and comes from a book, 'The Evening Hymn (1857)'.

Burns was born in Edinburgh, a graduate from Edinburgh University and was a minister in Scotland before moving to Madeira for health reasons, where he was minster before becoming a minister in Hampstead (London). He died in France, but was buried in the historic Highgate Cemetery in London. According to hymnary.org this hymn has now been published in 190 hymnals

The tune that it is set to is called 'Samuel'. It was composed by Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (1842‑1900) of Gilbert and Sullivan fame, known for works such as 'Pirates of Penzance' and 'The Mikado'. He was a Londoner born in Lambeth and raised in Chelsea, being musical from an early age he became a soloist in the boys choir at the Chapel Royal.

He did others works too such as 'The Prodigal Son' based on the passages in Luke 15.11-32 where he concentrated on the relationship between the father and the prodigal son.

He was prolific as a composer and arranger of hymns. His other tunes include St. Gertrude (Onward Christian Soldiers), Bishopsgarth (My life flows on in endless song), Noel (It came upon a midnight clear), Nearer Home (Jesus, my strength, my hope) and Constance (I've found a friend; O! such a friend !). Therefore the tune Samuel is one of his many works, which has been such lovely surprise.

NAC