Cariad Crist

Dyma gariad fel y moroedd

translated as:
Here is love, vast as the ocean

with
EBENEZER
CARIAD
JESUS ONLY (DIM OND JESU)
CALON LÂN

and
What tho’ the clouds are hov’ring o’er me

I. Welsh Text

The text of this hymn was originally in Welsh, “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd,” written by William Rees (1802–1883, also known as Gwilym Hiraethog), first published in an addendum to a collection of hymns by William Williams (1717–1791), Y per ganiedydd: sef detholiad o hymnau W. Williams (Liverpool : G.W. Jones, ca. 1847 | Fig. 1), edited by Rees. It was subsequently included in Rees’ own collection, Caniadau Hiraethog (Dinbych: Thomas Gee, 1855 | Fig. 2), titled “Cariad Crist” (“Love of Christ”), also in two stanzas, without music. By one account, Rees was “one of the most versatile and gifted Welshmen of the nineteenth century and exercised a powerful influence on politics, religion, poetry, and literature in Wales.”[1]

 

Fig. 1. Y per ganiedydd: sef detholiad o hymnau W. Williams (Liverpool : G.W. Jones, ca. 1847).

Fig. 2. Gwilym Hiraethog, Caniadau Hiraethog (Dinbych: Thomas Gee, 1855).

 

Some printings of this hymn in Welsh include an extra stanza, “O ddyfnderoedd o ddoethineb!” (“O depths of wisdom!”), which is by William Williams, taken from his hymn “Nid oes angel, nid oes seraph.” Williams’ hymn was included in his collection Haleluia Drachefn (ca. 1790).

II. Love song of the Welsh revival

Rees’ text played a prominent role in the Welsh revival of 1904–1905, led by evangelist Evan Roberts (1878–1951) of Glamorganshire. As with any great evangelistic movement, its success was closely associated with music and musicians. One of the most notable revival singers was a young woman, Annie Davies of Maesteg. According to one account printed in 1907, her voice emerged from a meeting in Pontycymer, and with it, the song by Rees:

In the first part of the first day Evan Roberts was overcome, as at his initiation at Blaenanerch. He fell on his face in the pew beneath the pulpit, weeping aloud and interceding. When he was able to calm himself, he rose and left, and did not return till the evening—the service in the meanwhile conducting itself without a break. It was on Friday evening, at the closing service of the mission here, that the voice of a young girl of eighteen, Miss Annie Davies of Maesteg, came into the history of the revival. Professing Christ from childhood, trained in her home to serve Him with her vocal gifts, it was as the coming of Sister Clara to Francis.

She sang, with tears on her face and victory in her voice, the mighty love-song of the revival—the hymn of Dr. William Rees (Hiraethog): “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd.” The song is of the marvel of Divine Love, flowing as vast oceans of tender mercies in never-ebbing floodtide; of the very Prince of Life dying, dying to redeem our forfeit life.[2]

An account from 1905 also described the emergence of Annie and her sister Maggie, and three of Annie’s best songs:

Their mother had often urged them to use their voices for religious causes, but beyond taking part in the quarterly meeting at Nantyfyllon and singing in local entertainments and concerts, they had not done much in that direction. Miss Annie Davies has also competed at the “semi-national” eisteddfod at Mountain Ash, but it is evident that she herself could have had no conception of the thrilling power which she can wield in the work which she has now taken up. Her favorites are “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd,” “Dyma Feibl Anwyl Iesu,” and “Dim ond Iesu.”[3]

The first of the songs is of course by Rees, the second is attributed to Margaret Thomas (1779–), and the third is likely a Welsh translation of the hymn “Jesus only” by Robert Lowry (see below).

III. CWYNFAN PRYDAIN

As early as 1906, Rees’ text had earned the nickname “The great Welsh love song,” and at the time it was described as being sung to the tune CWYNFAN PRYDAIN (“Britain’s Lament”).[4] This source also said Lowry’s hymn had been sung during the revival, intertwined with another, “In the waves and mighty waters” by Rev. David Williams of Llandilo.

CWYNFAN PRYDAIN is a Welsh tune of obscure origins. As early as 1803, it was described in a Welsh/English dictionary as “an old tune.”[5] In 1845, it was published in a collection of Welsh tunes, The Cambrian Minstrel (Merthyr Tydvil: David Jones, 1845 | Fig. 3), edited by John Thomas.

 

Fig. 3. The Cambrian Minstrel (Merthyr Tydvil: David Jones, 1845).

 

IV. EBENEZER

Rees’ Welsh text is often known to modern Welsh singers via the tune EBENEZER by T.J. Williams (1869–1944). This connection of text and tune was made as early as 1916 in a leaflet; copies of this are held at Cardiff University and the National Library of Wales. This leaflet used a parallel English translation by H. Elvet Lewis.[6]

During the Welsh revival of 1904–1905, EBENEZER was reported to have been sung to the hymn “Send Thy spirit, I beseech Thee” by Rev. W.E. Winks.[7]

EBENEZER is sometimes used with the English translation by William Edwards (more on this below), but it is more often sung with the original Welsh. This pairing with Rees’ text was favored by the tune’s composer. T.J. Williams’ grave stone in the Llanelli District Cemetery in Wales is inscribed with the first musical phrase of his tune EBENEZER and the first phrase of Rees’ hymn, “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd” (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4. Grave of T.J. Williams, Llanelli District Cemetery, Wales. Images courtesy of Nigel Williams.

For more on the history of the tune EBENEZER, see the article “O the deep, deep love of Jesus.”

V. English Translation and CARIAD Tune

This hymn entered English hymnody through The Baptist Book of Praise (Wales: Baptist Book of Praise Committee, 1899 | Fig. 5), translated by William Edwards (1848–1929) as “Here is love, vast as the ocean.” In this collection, it was set to the tune CARIAD by W.T. Samuel, probably written for this text. The edition shown below is notated in Tonic Sol-Fa, melody in the top line.

 

Fig. 5. The Baptist Book of Praise (Wales: Baptist Book of Praise Committee, 1899).

 

Some hymnals and songbooks print additional stanzas for this hymn. The two stanzas beginning “Let me all Thy love accepting” and “In Thy truth Thou dost direct me” are from the Redemption Hymnal (Luton: Assemblies of God Pub. House, 1951 | Fig. 6), unattributed. In this collection, the text was set to BETHANY by Henry Smart (1813–1879), with an optional Tonic Sol-Fa rendering of the melody.

 

Fig. 6. Redemption Hymnal (Luton: Assemblies of God Pub. House, 1951).

 

VI. JESUS ONLY (DIM OND IESU)

The most common tune setting for “Here is love, vast as the ocean” is JESUS ONLY by American gospel composer Robert Lowry (1826–1899). His tune was originally published with the hymn “What tho’ clouds are hov’ring o’er me” (“Jesus only”) by Hattie M. Conrey, in Gospel Music (NY: Biglow & Main, 1877 | Fig. 7). This tune is frequently printed in Welsh hymnals under the name DIM OND IESU, which is Welsh for “None but Jesus.”

 

Fig. 7. Robert Lowry & Wm. H. Doane, Gospel Music (NY: Biglow & Main, 1877).

 

The first known pairing of Lowry’s tune with Edwards’ translation of Rees’ text was in Christian Hymns (Evangelical Movement of Wales, 1977 | Fig. 8).

 

Fig. 8. Christian Hymns (Evangelical Movement of Wales, 1977).

 

VII. CALON LÂN

Lowry’s tune is often compared with a very similar tune by John Hughes (1872–1914) of Landore, Swansea, called CALON LÂN. Although the two tunes are strikingly similar and are practically interchangeable, they should not be regarded as the same tune. If one can be said to draw from the other, it would have to be Hughes in imitation of Lowry, because Hughes was only 5 years old when JESUS ONLY was first printed. Hughes’ tune was written around 1904 and was distributed in revival booklets. Its first known appearance in a hymnal was Y Caniedydd Cynulleidfaol Newydd (Swansea: Bookroom of the Welsh Independents, 1921 | Fig. 9). For comparison, it is also shown below in standard notation as in Selected Welsh and English Favorite Hymns (New Castle, PA: 1941 | Fig. 10).

 

Fig. 9. Y Caniedydd Cynulleidfaol Newydd (Swansea: Bookroom of the Welsh Independents, 1921).

Fig. 10. Selected Welsh and English Favorite Hymns (New Castle, PA: 1941).

 

VIII. BLAENWERN — See the article on “Love divine, all loves excelling.”

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
14 June 2019
rev. 13 March 2020

Footnotes:

  1. Cliff V. Knight, “Here is love, vast as the ocean,” A Companion to Christian Hymns (Bridgend: Evangelical Movement of Wales, 1993), p. 94.

  2. H. Elvet Lewis, With Christ Among the Miners: Incidents and Impressions of the Welsh Revival (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1907), pp. 82–83: Google Books

  3. “Welsh News and Notes,” The Cambrian: A Welsh-American Monthly Magazine, vol 25, no. 1 (Utica, NY: Jan. 1905), p. 32: Google Books

  4. Theron Brown & Hezekiah Butterworth, “Dyma gariad fel y moroedd,” The Story of the Hymns and Tunes (1906), pp. 401–402: Google Books

  5. W. Owen Pughe, Dictionary of the Welsh Language, vol. 1 (London: E. Williams, 1803), p. 442: Archive.org

  6. OCLC 895893783: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/895893783 / OCLC 1118255724: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1118255724

  7. Theron Brown & Hezekiah Butterworth, The Story of the Hymns and Tunes (1906), p. 406: Google Books

Related Resources:

J. Ithel Jones, et al., The Baptist Hymn Book Companion, Rev. Ed. (London: Psalms and Hymns Trust, 1967), p. 258.

Edward Darling & Donald Davison, “Here is love, vast as the ocean,” Companion to Church Hymnal (Dublin: Columba, 2005), pp. 326–327.

Christopher M. Idle, “Here is love, vast as the ocean,” Exploring Praise! vol. 1 (Darlington: Praise Trust, 2006), p. 301.

David Edward Pike, “The story of the love song of the 1904–5 revival,” Welldigger (20 May 2011):
http://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/2011/05/story-of-love-song-1904-5-revival_20.html

“Here is love, vast as the ocean,” Hymnary.org:
https://hymnary.org/text/here_is_love_vast_as_the_ocean

Martin V. Clarke, “Here is love, vast as the ocean,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/h/here-is-love,-vast-as-the-ocean