I Vow to Thee My Country

[Coldicote]

The hymn 'I Vow to thee my country' is to feature at the commemorative service for the late Princess of Wales. I find the opening lines difficult to interpret;

"I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect; the service of my love;...."
Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) Cecil Spring Rice (1859 - 1918)

Is it referring to this earthly country, or belief in an after-life in some another 'dimension'? This our earthly country is hardly 'entire and whole and perfect'. What is the vow 'the service of my love' actually being made to?

[shaneystar2]

Put it in another context ..I vow to be entire whole and perfect in the service of the love for my country above all other worldly ,or earthly ;things ..Patriotic zealotry in other words !
Interesting link here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/arts /vow_20040813.shtml

[Coldicote]

Thank you for your thoughts on this and the link. Seems I wasn't the only one to have problems with interpretation.

[legend758duo]

do you really think that diana did indeed vow to thee as in the hymn?

i find that hard to believe.
she was afterall a nursery teacher who married the prince of wales .

but i dont think even through all her charity work etc that she ever went to the lengths described in the hymn.

not near at all id say.

[legend758duo]

didnt she give her love to james hewitt?

and then dodi fayed ?

i think the country came in third place at best .