Let all the world in every corner sing
Let all the world in every corner sing. George Herbert* (1593-1633).
From Herbert’s posthumous collection The Temple (Cambridge, 1633) where it is entitled ‘Antiphon (I)’, this was the first of Herbert’s poems to be used as a hymn without significant adaptation when it was published in Church Hymns (1871).
An antiphon is ‘a composition, in verse or prose, consisting of verses or passages sung alternately by two choirs in worship’ (Oxford English Dictionary). In the original poem, this is made clear by alternating the ‘Cho.’ (Chorus) first two lines ‘Let all the world in ev’ry corner sing/My God and King’ with a four-line ‘Vers.’ (Versicle) to create the antiphonal effect: so the poem...
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.)
. "Let all the world in every corner sing."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 16 Feb. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/let-all-the-world-in-every-corner-sing>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Let all the world in every corner sing."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 16, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/let-all-the-world-in-every-corner-sing.