Sunday, September 09, 2007
What is it about Jerusalem?

I attended a wonderful wedding at this church on the top of a hill in Southern France yesterday.

The first church was built on this site around 1000 A.D. and it's been adapted, augmented, and fiddled around with ever since. It has, however, always been a church and a very beautiful one too.

The ceremony involved two English friends and the opening hymn was William Blake's Jerusalem.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green
And was the holy lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen

And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills
And was Jerusalem builded there
Among those dark Satanic mills

Bring me my bow of burning gold
Bring me my arrows of desire
Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold
Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my (my) sword sleep in hand
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land
'Til we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land

After the service I asked the Deacon whether he thought that hymn had ever been sung in that church in the past thousand years. The answer was no. I remembered that some German colleagues expresssed ignorance of the hymn at a previous service in England. An American I quizzed told me that she'd never heard it or of it until she came to live in England. Here it is for those who don't know it.

Of course, the hymn IS very English but it is so powerful that I'm surprised it seems not to have crossed national barriers at all. Any explanations? 

And a late addition to this item, the altar of the church in question.

#    |  Comments [7]  | 
9/9/2007 7:08:08 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Very nice snapshot of the church above the mist!

Thanks, and thanks for Blake's quotation!
Alain Pierrot
9/10/2007 6:01:19 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
If it were sung by nationals of other countries it wouldn't resonate the same way. Whenever I sing it I imagine myself standing beside Chanctonbury Ring looking out across Sussex, while feeling tremendously proud of being British.
Richard Havers
9/10/2007 7:36:38 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Richard, Yes of course it wouldn't be the same for non British people but it is still a great song and other 'nationalistic' songs are enjoyed and known in Britain. It's the ignorance of Jerusalem elsewhere which surprised me.We all know the Marseillaise, Red Flag, Star-spangled banner etc.
richard charkin
9/10/2007 3:20:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
I suspect a few French rugby fans have heard Jerusalem at Twickenham :)

La Marseillaise - a national anthem, ditto the Star Spangled Banner
The Red Flag - written by an Irishman in London and it's a political anthem!

I think the fact is that Jerusalem is SO British in the lyric department that makes it work for us and not for others - in fact it positively works against it working for non Brits. It's the feeling that it arouses when we sing it that makes it resonate.
Richard Havers
9/10/2007 4:57:16 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Swing low sweet chariot is the Twickenham anthem!
richard charkin
9/10/2007 7:27:43 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
At least the first line is! :)
Richard Havers
9/11/2007 8:02:20 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
Jerusalem was sung regularly at my high school in New Zealand, it may have even been the school song (my memory is letting me down).
Emma