See, the blessed wave their hands;
Hear the harps of God resounding
From the bright immortal bands.
The authorship of the hymn is credited to Rev. E. Adams—whether or not a descendant of the Island Patriarch we have no information. It was written about 1869.
The ringing melody that bears the words was composed by John Miller Evans, born Nov. 30, 1825; died Jan. 1, 1892. The original air—with a simple accompaniment—was harmonized by Hubert P. Main, and published in Winnowed Hymns in 1873.
“ETERNAL FATHER, STRONG TO SAVE.”
This is sung almost universally on English ships. It is said to have been one of Sir Evelyn Wood's favorites. The late William Whiting wrote it in 1860, and it was incorporated with some alterations in the standard English Church collection 424 / 370 entitled Hymns Ancient and Modern. It is a translation from a Latin hymn, a triune litany addressing a stanza each to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The whole four stanzas have the same refrain, and the appeal to the Father, who bids—
—the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep,
—varies in the appeal to Christ, who—