'Hymns are the poetry of the people’, said Sir John Betjeman in the 1970s. This Poet Laureate is now memorialised in Westminster Abbey, along with many other poets, writers and performers in a space known as Poets’ Corner. In this series, join us as we explore a few of these poets whose words were turned into hymns and anthems, which are sung in Christian churches around the world.

Hello, my name is Helena Bickley-Percival, and I’m Minor Canon and Sacrist here at the Abbey. Today I’m going to explore poet Henry Francis Lyte and the hymn based on his poem Abide with Me.

Henry Francis Lyte was born in in Scotland in 1793, and became a priest having studied at Trinity College, Dublin. He and his wife Anne ultimately settled in Brixham, and he wrote many of his poems having been inspired by a walk along the seafront in this small fishing village in Devon.

All was not totally idyllic, however. From a young age Lyte suffered from various respiratory illnesses, and spent increasing amounts of time in warmer climes than Devon attempting to recuperate. He wrote poems such as 'Declining Days' and 'The Dying Christian to his Soul' during those difficult times.

By 1847 he was very unwell, but despite the pleadings of his loved ones, he insisted on preaching one final sermon. Later that day, he disappeared into his study and when he re-appeared he pressed into his family’s hands the text and a tune for Abide with Me – possibly a reworking of something he had written at an earlier date. In the next hours they departed on a journey he was never to complete. Lyte died in Nice in November 1847, having left behind many hymns still enjoyed today, but that final hymn Abide with Me perhaps the best known and loved. It was sung for the first time at his funeral.

Abide with Me was first published with the tune we know best in Hymns Ancient and Modern in 1861. The editor, William H Monk realised that the poem needed some music, and one story goes that he sat down and wrote the tune “Eventide” in ten minutes!

The hymn draws upon words from The Gospel of Luke, chapter 24. After his resurrection, Jesus walks upon the Emmaus road with two of his disciples. They don’t recognise him, but they invite him to stay with them. Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. Lyte draws comparisons between the evening of the day and the evening of one’s life, calling upon God’s strength to stay with him in darkness. Since Lyte’s own funeral, it has been a popular hymn for funerals and times of mourning.

This focus on evening and the end of our lives makes it seem an odd candidate for a hymn to be sung at the beginning of the FA Cup Final. That tradition started in 1927, and it’s possible that it was a response to the crowd remembering those who had died in the First World War, and who were no longer with them. The hymn became extremely popular during the First World War, particularly following The Miracle of Ypres: On the 24th May 1915, the men of the Durham Light Infantry were taking part in the second battle of Ypres. It was the first time that poison gas had been used and many fled rather than face it. Colonel Ernest Vaux saw that cloud rolling towards him and his men, and rather than letting them run away he ordered his men out of the trenches and up onto the parapet. He shouted “there’s no use running, come up here and sing a hymn” before leading them all in singing Abide with Me. The gas passed beneath them, and not a single man of the Durham Light Infantry died of its effects. This association with the armed forces has remained – in 1920 Abide with Me was sung in Westminster Abbey at the funeral for the Unknown Warrior whose grave still lies at the West Door and is visited by thousands every year, and it was sung again in 2020 at the Centenary service to remember that burial.

Let’s take a listen to this short clip.

I have sung Abide with Me at many funerals, and every time I find it incredibly moving. I used to find it strange that the hymn seems to be repeatedly asking that God be with us, as if God isn’t always with us, but the disciples on the Emmaus road didn’t know that it was Jesus speaking to them, didn’t know about his resurrection. They asked him to stay and discovered that Jesus was already present with them. It reminds me that, though sometimes I forget about God’s presence, God does not forget us. Even in the midst of the of darkness, and the most difficult things anyone can face, God abides.

Thank you for joining me today. To listen to the full hymn, and other recorded performances, please search for “The Choir of Westminster Abbey” on your chosen music streaming platform. Alternatively, you can purchase CDs from Westminster Abbey’s shop. We’d love to welcome you at one of our services at Westminster Abbey.