_MUSIC._ NEARER HOME, also called “Montgomery,” was composed for this hymn and was published in _The Choral Advocate_, 1852. The composer, Isaac Baker Woodbury, 1819-58, was an American singer, teacher of music, composer of hymn tunes and sacred songs, and editor of _Musical Review_. His career was cut short by his death at the early age of thirty-nine. 262. Jerusalem the golden _Bernard of Cluny_, 12th century _Tr. John M. Neale_, 1818-66 “And the city was pure gold” Rev. 21:21. This hymn is from a Latin manuscript of 3,000 lines entitled “_De Contemptu Mundi_” (On Contempt of the World), written by Bernard of Cluny while he was a monk at the famous monastery of Cluny, France, _c._ 1145. Practically nothing is known of him except his authorship of this poem. Two other hymns, “Brief life is here our portion,” and “For thee, O dear, dear country,” not in the _Hymnary_, are taken from the same poem. The original was not written as a hymn at all but as a “bitter satire on the fearful corruption of the age,” especially of the Church of Rome, in contrast to which the author paints the joys of the new Jerusalem. The author employed throughout the unusually difficult meter known as “dactylic hexameter with tailed rhymes,” of which Bernard himself says: “Unless the Spirit of wisdom and understanding had flowed in upon me, I could not have put together so long a work in so difficult a meter.” The reading of the Latin stanzas best reveal the rhythm and music of the original: 1. Urbs Sion aurea, patria lactea, Cive decora, Omne cor obruis, omnibus obstruis Et cor et ora. 2. Nescio, nescio, quae iubilatio, Lux tibi qualis, Quam socialia gaudia, gloria Quam specialis. 3. Sunt Sion atria coniubilantia, Martyre plena, Cive micantia, principe stantia, Luce serena. 4. Sunt ibi pascua mentibus afflua Praestita sanctis; Regis ibi thronus, agminis et sonus Est epulantis. 5. Gens duce splendida, contio candida Vestibus albis, Sunt sine fletibus in Sion aedibus, Aedibus almis. Amen. For comments on the translator, John M. Neale, see Hymn 67. _MUSIC._ EWING, composed for “For thee, O dear, dear country” (see above), was originally in triple time and named, “St. Bedes.” In _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, 1861, it was set to the present words and the tune changed to common time without the consent of the composer. Ewing disliked the change and expressed himself thus: “In my opinion the alteration of the rhythm has very much vulgarized my little tune. It now seems to be a good deal like a polka. I hate to hear it.” In spite of the composer’s opinion, the tune is generally accepted in its revised form and considered preferable to the original.