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Be Still, My Soul
Music by Joel Richard Jude Jicha
Dear Beautiful Human:
I don't know about you, but I have experienced a lot of anxiety and depression in my lifetime ever since... um... birth, probably. As a young person facing frequent prejudice-based violence and verbal abuse both at school and at home, Jane Borthwick's words provided much-needed comfort: "the Lord is on thy side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain...". My God remained faithful through my suffering and bolstered my confidence and motivation to survive, work hard, and let God give me hope for a mysterious but bright future. As an adult, through the deaths and departures of my closest friends, I was reminded that I may still discover divine love to fill the emptiness as I await our reunion beyond the "vale of tears." The final stanza of the poem has always been nearly inconceivable to me but is a description of something we must all seek. Can you imagine existing with a complete absence of disappointment, grief, and fear? Can you imagine what it would be like if you were incapable of remembering the feeling of sorrow? This is the promise of "love's purest joys" that we will receive after passing from this broken world. It is also a heaven we can create here on earth if only we all attempt to embrace one another. When we meet in a place that is safe for everyone, this is how we shall be blessed.
Poetry by Jane Borthwick (based on poem by Katharina von Schlegel)
I discovered this poem as most choristers do, by performing one of the many versions set to the music of Jean Sibelius' "Finland, behold, thy daylight now is dawning..." from the 1899 tableaux Finlandia. While I love the tune, it was not written for Jane Borthwick's poetry. Therefore, I set myself the daunting task of crafting an original tune inspired by these beautiful words. After hard contemplation and a great many scribbles, I considered how I speak or sing these words to myself when I am in a state of extreme anxiety or depression. Obviously, this must be a blues song. So, when you are upset, triggered, anxious, fearful, depressed, or despairing, try to calm the tumult within you. When you have a severe case of the blues, tell yourself as I do: "Be still, my soul."