h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've got a little treat for you. Some kind soul on Youtube has made a slideshow to a scrumptious rendition of John Bunyan's hymn, 'He Who Valiant Be'. It will take you on a little trip - and I think, like Bunyan, that the journey's worth the fare.

First of all, in case you don't know who Bunyan was (no, Yanks, he wasn't the lumberjack with the blue ox): John Bunyan wrote this hymn while in Bedford Gaol. He was serving a 12-year sentence for...wait for it...preaching without a licence.

We will pause while you ruminate on the wisdom of English law. There will be opinions pro and con, we suspect....

Ahem. Back to the topic, which is magical journeys. Bunyan also wrote 'Pilgrim's Progress', which is really the English answer to Dante, as far as I'm concerned. And pace Dorothy Sayers and generations of medieval scholars, I find Bunyan's version superior. It's a vision for the common human, and I think he was a cool mystic, Mr Bunyan.

His hymn is usually described as, er, 'robust'. That's a good word. Not enough robust hymns around. Here are the words, both modern and original:

http://www.hymnswithoutwords.com/hymns/He_who_would_valiant_be

The modern words are the ones sung by church people. Now, look at the original - much more fun. Question, students: why wouldn't churchgoers want to sing Bunyan's original words?

Er, 'hobgoblin', seriously?

I know this stunt. They fancify Isaac Watts, too. When I was young, a good old-time preacher chided the congregation about it. 'You don't want to sing 'for such a worm as I', do you? You don't think you're worms? Makes you squirm, does it? Well, let me tell you...'

This amused me much as a ten-year-old.

The tune, 'Monks Gate', is from the sacred domain of Sussex. Where else? Google informs me that from Brightling to Monks Gate is 37.9 miles - but it will take you an hour and 14 minutes on the A272. Which is haunted, but hey. Maybe you will see the ghosts of John Bunyan's pilgrims.

Enjoy the slideshow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yHJMPw8RHU

And thanks to whoever put that up. It's a glorious bit of dimensional travel.

That last link sounds like an uncredited use of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOPW-9mSw8Y

Maddy Prior and the Carnival band,

Great slide show

Ah. Thanks for the link, Bald Bloke!

Yes, good to see the proper people credited. It's a great song, thanks Dmitri and Bald Bloke!

Very interesting, thanks Dmitri.

I listened to BBC Radio dramatisations of both Dante and Bunyan last year. I enjoyed Dante, but found Bunyan far too preachy.

I'll grant you preachy - that's the 17th Century for you - but Bunyan gave me fewer nightmares.