Through the night Thy angels kept

Through the night Thy angels kept. William Canton* (1845-1926).  This hymn was taken from The Comrades. Poems old & new (1902), in which it was entitled ‘A Child’s Prayer’. The text was as follows:  Thro’ the night Thy angels keptWatch above me while I slept,Now the dark has passed away,Thank Thee, Lord, for this new day.  North and south and east and westMay Thy holy name be blest;Everywhere beneath the sun,As in Heaven, Thy will be done.  Give me food that I may live;Every naughtiness forgive:Keep all evil things awayFrom Thy little child this day.  With minor differences in capitalization, and with ‘...beside me...’ for ‘...above me...’ in stanza 1 line 2, this was included...

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