And didst thou love the race that loved not thee
And didst thou love the race that loved not thee? Jean Ingelow* (1820-1897).
From Ingelow’s Poems (1863). The hymn is an extract of five consecutive stanzas (72-76) of Part II of a long poem of 83 stanzas entitled ‘Honours’. In it a scholar muses on his lack of academic success: he is full of doubt about the meaning of life, but finds the answer in the Incarnation. Filled with new hope, he offers up this prayer:
And didst thou love the race that loved not Thee? And didst Thou take to heaven a human brow?Dost plead with man’s voice by the marvellous sea? Art thou his kinsman now?
O God, O kinsman loved, but not enough, O Man, with eyes majestic after death, Whose feet have toiled along...
If you have a valid subscription to Dictionary of Hymnology, please log inlog in to view this content. If you require a subscription, please click here.
Cite this article
MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "And didst thou love the race that loved not thee."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 17 Feb. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/a/and-didst-thou-love-the-race-that-loved-not-thee>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "And didst thou love the race that loved not thee."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 17, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/a/and-didst-thou-love-the-race-that-loved-not-thee.