He came to Sri Lanka in 1906 and served as the Vice-Principle of Trinity College in Kandy for a decade. He then served as Vicar of Christ Church, Galle Face, from 1916 until 1919. His poetry collection Vita Magistra was published in1937. Although he retired to England, his heart home was always Sri Lanka.
One blogger, D.B.S. Jeyaraj, writes eloquently of his personal experience of the following poem — which had been put to music by Devar Surya Sena. Jeyaraj says it was sung at the prep school he attended.
-----“When we sang the lines ‘Give peace within her borders, Twixt
-----man and man goodwill,’ in those days of innocent childhood,
-----little did we realise that this blessed Island was going to be
-----torn apart by a cruel war lasting for decades. The war has ended
-----now. What is sad and troubling are the efforts by extremists on
-----either side of the ethnic divide to whip up communal passions.
-----One hopes and prays that saner counsel prevails and the
-----merchandising of hatred ceases.”
The Hymn of Ceylon
Jehovah, Thou hast promised
The isles shall wait for Thee,
The joyous isles of ocean,
The jewels of the sea.
Lo! we, this island’s watchmen
Would give and take no rest;
For thus hast Thou commanded
Till our dear land is blessed.
Then bless her mighty Father,
With blessings needed most,
In every verdant village,
By every palmy coast.
On every soaring mountain,
O’er every spreading plain,
May all her sons and daughters
Thy righteousness attain.
Give peace within her borders
Twixt man and man goodwill,
The love all unsuspicious,
The love that works no ill.
In loyal lowly service,
Let each from other learn,
The guardian and the guarded,
Till Christ Himself return.
To Him our land shall listen,
To Him our peoples kneel;
All rule be on His shoulder,
All wrong beneath His heel;
O consummation glorious
Which now by faith we sing;
Come, cast we up the highway
That brings us back our King!
Entry written by D.S. Martin. He is the author of six poetry collections including Angelicus (2021, Poiema/Cascade), plus three anthologies — available through Wipf & Stock. His new book The Role of the Moon, inspired by the Metaphysical Poets, is now available from Paraclete Press.
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