“Be Thou My Vision”: three linguistic perspectives of a hymn.

<p>The word vision is a noun that has two meanings: it can be&nbsp;<em>a thing seen</em>&nbsp;and it can also be the sense or&nbsp;<em>faculty</em>&nbsp;<em>by which</em>&nbsp;a thing is seen. It is a thing we see and it is the way we see a thing. The opening line of the hymn becomes more complex when both definitions of vision are considered.</p> <p>In one sense, the speaker is asking God to become the thing seen, asking for God to appear before her to be observed and worshipped. The speaker wishes for God to be her vision. She wishes that God might become the thing most desired and dreamed for. This is evident in the final line of the stanza: &ldquo;waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.&rdquo; The speaker wishes this vision to be real when awake and vivid in sleep. Waking or sleeping, eyes opened or closed, God is what the speaker wants to see.</p> <p><a href="https://michaelentz.medium.com/be-thou-my-vision-three-linguistic-readings-of-a-hymn-b3dc1291388d"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>