Like a river glorious
Like a river glorious. Frances Ridley Havergal* (1836-1879).
Written in 1874, and first published in leaflet form. It was later published in Havergal’s Loyal Responses (1878). Written in the metre of 6.5.6.5.D., it had three stanzas and a refrain. The refrain was
Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blest;Finding, as He promised, Perfect peace and rest.
The stanzas begin with the arresting image of the glorious river, the image of God’s peace, perhaps from Psalm 46: 4. There is a weak second stanza, in which Havergal, usually so convincing, seems to resort to evangelical cliché:
Hidden in the hollow Of his blessed hand,Never foe can follow, Never traitor stand;Not a surge of worry,...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Like a river glorious."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 16 Jul. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/like-a-river-glorious>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Like a river glorious."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed July 16, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/like-a-river-glorious.