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"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" (originally titled "The Stranger and His Friend") is a seven-
"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief"
'' Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 1985), no. 29.
The original tune Taylor sang before the martyrdom became lost in the years following Taylor's death. In 2008, a descendant of Taylor found the original tune in the notebook of Beesley, and then shared his findings with historian Jeffrey N. Walker. Walker then published his arrangement of the hymn with the tune as it was sung to Beesley.
"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief"
interactive music player, churchofjesuschrist.org * "The Stranger and His Friend" Wikisource *Library of Congress: Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music
A Poor, wayfaring man of grief
by Rev. George Coles
Original tune sung by John TaylorNew York Doll David Johansen sings A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief as tribute to late bassist Arthur Kane, an LDS member.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poor Wayfaring Man Of Grief English Christian hymns Joseph Smith Latter Day Saint hymns 1826 poems 1883 songs 19th-century hymns Songs with lyrics by James Montgomery (poet)
"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" (originally titled "The Stranger and His Friend") is a seven-stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
poem written in 1826 by James Montgomery. The words of the poem have since been adopted as a Christian hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
.
Origin and authorship
Montgomery wrote "The Stranger and His Friend" in December 1826 while travelling inEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on extended trips in horse-drawn carriages. Montgomery did not write the poem with the intention of it being set to music. It was originally written as a Christmas poem.
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
preacher George Coles set the poem to music he wrote. The hymn was adopted by some Christian congregations in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Historical connection with Latter Day Saints
"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" was a favorite hymn ofJoseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...
. The hymn was introduced in the church by apostle John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to:
Academics
*John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487
*John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar
*John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...
, who learned the hymn in 1840 as a missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
in England. Taylor included the hymn in the Latter Day Saints' ''Manchester Hymnal
''A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Europe'', informally known as the ''Manchester Hymnal'', was first published in Manchester, England, in 1840. Like the first Latter Day Saint hymnal, this hymn ...
'', which was used in England from 1840 to 1912. The hymn was also included in the church's 1841 hymnal published in Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...
. Unlike the version in the ''Manchester Hymnal'', the hymn in the Nauvoo hymnal included music composed by Taylor.
On the afternoon that Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in prison in Carthage, Illinois, the Smiths requested Taylor sing the hymn twice.
After he became president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church), Taylor asked Ebenezer Beesley to compose new music for the hymn. The results were published in the church's 1889 hymnal, and the hymn has been included in every subsequent edition of the church's hymnal. In the LDS Church's 1985 English-language hymnal, it is hymn number 29.'' Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 1985), no. 29.
Further reading
*Notes
External links
"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief"
interactive music player, churchofjesuschrist.org * "The Stranger and His Friend" Wikisource *Library of Congress: Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music
A Poor, wayfaring man of grief
by Rev. George Coles
Original tune sung by John Taylor
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poor Wayfaring Man Of Grief English Christian hymns Joseph Smith Latter Day Saint hymns 1826 poems 1883 songs 19th-century hymns Songs with lyrics by James Montgomery (poet)