Poetry Published by John Davis: Father, son, and daughter

P11 TAYLOR, John. Father, son, & daughter. A trio. Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, [1851?].

1 p. 17 cm. Welsh Mormon Writings 51.

P12 TAYLOR, John. Y tad, y mab, a’r ferch. (Father, son, and daugh­ter.) Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by J. Davis, Georgetown, [1851].

1 p. 17 cm. Welsh Mormon Writings 52.

On the occasion of Apostle John Taylor’s visit to Wales in June 1850, John Davis composed and printed A welcome hymn (P5) in his honor. When John Taylor returned six months later, Davis published some of Taylor’s own poetry (Father, son, and daughter) in English. The non-English-speaking Saints in Wales would naturally have wanted a Welsh version of the poem, since it was written by such a high-ranking official of the Church. A translation of it by Benjamin Davies appeared in the 8 February 1851 Zion’s Trumpet (pp. 51–52). The trans­lation was then published as a broadside.

The poem has six four-line verses, each followed by a two-line chorus. The content is as follows:

Verse 1: The son declares his desire to go to the “land of the West” and asks the father to take the family there.

Verse 2: The daughter echoes her brother’s wish and request.

Verse 3: The father reminds his children that the journey might be too arduous for him and their mother, both suffering from ill health.

Verse 4: The son reminds his father that it was the Lord’s will that they go.

Verse 5: The daughter promises to help her parents.

Verse 6: The father, son, and daughter join together in this last verse in affirming their willingness to “trust in the Lord” and make the journey.

Father, Son, & Daughter.

A Trio.

By John Taylor.

SON.

O, gladly I’d go to the land of the west,

And dwell with the people Jehovah has bless’d;

O, Father, dear Father, why will you not come,

And take us away to the land of our home?

Home, home, sweet, sweet home,

Go with us, dear Father, to Zion, our home.

DAUGHTER.

O, yes, dearest Father, why will you not go?

For God says his Saints unto Zion shall flow;

Celestial blessings to us he’ll impart,

And we’ll dwell with the pure, & the upright in heart.

Home, home, &c., &c.

FATHER. But, my dearest children, the journey is long;

Your mother is feeble, and I am not strong;

And if we should sicken and die on the way,

You would then think with us, it were better to stay.

Home, home, sweet, sweet home,

The place of your childhood, there’s no place like home.

SON.

But, Father, the Lord has revealed his truth,

And told us to flee from the land of our youth;—

That judgments ere long will the nations o’erflow:

To escape all these evils we wish you to go.

Home, home, sweet, sweet home;

Go with us, dear Father, to Zion, our home.

DAUGHTER. And, Father, I’ll help you in this lonely way—

I’ll comfort and watch you, by night and by day;

And angels will guard you, sustain you and bless,

And God will impart the sweet comfort of peace.

Home, home, &c., &c.

FATHER, SON, AND DAUGHTER.

O, yes, then we’ll go to the land of our rest;

For what God ordains us, must surely be best:

We’ll journey together to Zion, and trust in the Lord,

And, if faithful, partake in the righteous’ reward.

Home, home, sweet, sweet home;

We will all go together to Zion, our home.

FATHER, SON, & DAUGHTER.

[From the English of Apostle John Taylor, from France.]

SON.

GLADLY I’d go to the west, to the lovely, good land,

To dwell with the people blessed by God;

Father, Oh, dear Father, say why

You will not come and carry us to our perfect home.

Land, land, dear, dear land,

Our Father, Oh, come with us to Zion, dear land.

DAUGHTER.

Why, Oh, dear Father, will you not come there to live,

For God says the Saints unto Zion shall flow;

Celestial blessings to it he’ll impart,

And with the just, the upright in heart, he will dwell.

Land, land, dear, dear land,

Our Father, Oh, come with us to Zion, dear land.

FATHER. Dear children, consider—the journey is long,

And your mother is feeble, and I am not much better;

If your old mother and your father were to die on the way,

You would then think it were better to stay in our land.

Land, land, dear, dear land,

Namely the land of our childhood—there’s no place like our land.

SON.

But, Father, a revelation was received from God about the worry

That is between him and Babel, where we were tenderly reared;

That judgments will the nations o’erflow:

To escape all these evils we wish you to flee with us.

Land, land, dear, dear land,

Our Father, Oh, come with us to Zion, dear land.

DAUGHTER.

And, Father, I’ll help you all along the lonely way—

I’ll comfort and watch you by night and by day;

And angels will guard you, and uphold you,

And God will impart to you comfort and peace.

Land, land, dear, dear land,

Our Father, Oh, come with us to Zion, dear land.

FATHER, SON, AND DAUGHTER.

Well, then, we shall go to the land across the sea,

For that which the Lord ordains is surely best for us;

We’ll journey together to Zion and trust in God,

We shall partake in the righteous’ reward, if we continue faithful.

Land, land, dear, dear land,

Our Father, Oh, come with us to Zion, dear land.

Merthyr. Trans. BENJAMIN DAVIES.