Hymn Lyrics

Traditional Christian Hymn Lyrics.

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When Jesus had died, to Tiberias' sea

When Jesus had died, to Tiberias' Sea
with the faith of a mouse his disciples did flee,
to the land of their birth, where asylum they sought
in the lives they’d for Jesus abjured and forgot.

Dawn was breaking. All night the forlorn little band
had been fishing, caught nothing, when lo! on the strand
there stood Jesus and cried, "Children, how do you fare?
Have you caught any fish? Have you any to share?"

They knew him not then as they hauled in their net:
"Sad to say, sir, but no, we have caught nothing yet."
So then Jesus advised, "To your right make your cast —
then your net will be full, your futility past."

The fishermen heeded the words he did shout.
Soon their net was so full they could not haul it out.
Then John saw who it was, and his heart joyful soar'd,
and he whispered, "Hey, Peter, look there, it's the Lord!"

On hearing this, Peter did put on his pants,
and he jumped in the sea, and he beachward advanced.
The remaining disciples came sailing behind,
trailing fish of a hundred and fifty-three kinds.

"Come then, let's have breakfast," — so Jesus did say —
"For behold, I am with you, and with you I'll stay.
Death has died. Oh, and Peter, if lovest thou deep,
truly lovest me, hear me, and feed thou my sheep!"

The text was written during Lent in 1996, in anticipation of Easter Monday. The English version was written about three days after the Esperanto original. The original Esperanto text begins Kiam mortis Jesuo, pro tima konfuz’. The hymn was titled Venu do, matenmanĝu. The English version may be titled Come Then, Let's Have Breakfast. It is subtitled "A Sacred Ballad on John 21, for Easter Monday Breakfast".

Although written with the tune Foundation in mind, the song first appeared in print (in an Esperanto Christian periodical) in association with the tune Montgomery.

As published in Adoru: Ekumena Diserva Libro (2001) the text of the last stanza was edited to make it more appropriate to eucharistic use. This emendation has not been translated.


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