Hymn for my Brother's Ordination
At a young man's ordination, the speaker portrays Christ as invisibly laying hands on him and promises Christ's companionship through celebration, suffering, and prayer. The closing stanza pictures trust and rest through the image of leaning on the Saviour's breast like John.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Christian Hymn, Devotional Poetry · 202 words
First lines
Christ to the young man said: "Yet one thing more; / If thou wouldst perfect be, / Sell all thou hast and give it to the poor, / And come and follow me!"
Within this temple Christ again, unseen, / Those sacred words hath said, / And his invisible hands to-day have been / Laid on a young man's head.
And evermore beside him on his way / The unseen Christ shall move, / That he may lean upon his arm and say, / "Dost thou, dear Lord, approve?"
Beside him at the marriage feast shall be, / To make the scene more fair; / Beside him in the dark Gethsemane / Of pain and midnight prayer.
Genres
- Christian Hymn — The rhymed stanzas invoke Christ's call to discipleship and his blessing and companionship at a young man's ordination.
- Devotional Poetry — The speaker expresses trust in the Saviour through imagined prayer, reliance on his arm, and rest upon his breast.
Tags
ordination · Christian discipleship · prayer · trust · hymn
What this Textopian page supports
Hymn for my Brother's Ordination is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Christian Hymn, Devotional Poetry
- Length: 202 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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