This is one of the most evocative Slavic hymns. It began with a poem written by Ivan Grigoryevich Kulzhinsky (1803-1884), a Ukrainian Orthodox educator and historian. It was further altered (possibly by Russian Evangelical Christian leader Ivan Stepanovich Prokhanov), and in 1902 it was published in Prokhanov's collection of the Christian hymns, published here, was arranged by a Russian Baptist minister of music, Yakov Ivanovich Vyazovskiy.
Music: Yakov Ivanovich Vyazovskiy, Russia (1898-1940)
Words: Ivan Grigoryevich Kulzhinsky, Ukraine (1803-1884)
English Words: Mary Raber and Pat Bennett
Country:
Language: Ukrainan
Lyrics:
Life's stormy seas are raging all around me. Fearful and grieving I now face the grave; Oh God, my God! hear my anguished pleading snatch my frail boat from the maw of the wave.
In your deep pity mark my endless struggles From my first breath, until this present hour; Oh God, my God! Now my strength is waning. Stretch out your hand with its life-giving power!
Through this fierce tempest one thing still can draw me. That peace and purpose of your holy will; Oh God, my God! Bring me to this harbour. And in its safety my soul can be still.