To be a pilgram

Who would true valour see,  Let him come hither; One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather. There’s no discouragement Shall make him once relent His first avowed intent To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round With dismal stories Do but themselves confound; His strength the more is. No lion can him fright, He’ll with a giant fight, He will have a right To be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend Can daunt his spirit, He knows he at the end Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away, He’ll fear not what men say, He’ll labour night and day To be a pilgrim.

Written by John Bunyan 1628 to 1688

Bunyan wrote He who would true valour see in 1684 as part of Pilgrim’s Progress.   The words are spoken by Mr Valiant-for-truth to Mr Greatheart. Part of the continuing appeal of  Pilgrims Progress is the heroically named   characters although Mr Ready-to-Halt, Formalist, Mr By-ends and Hypocrisy cannot be called heroic. But that’s the secret to the book, song and life, “He who would Valiant Be” - fights everyday to be heroic. OR comes and kneels at the Cross and asks Christ to Redeem him, God to Forgive Him and The Holy Spirit to infill, empower and energise him. Then “Hobgoblin nor foul fiend Can daunt his spirit, He knows he at the end Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away, He’ll fear not what men say, He’ll labour night and day To be a pilgrim”
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PS: The Lyrics may sound different to what you remember singing at school, in the 1900’s the song was watered down like most Christianity to remove Hobgoblins, fiends and even lions

​By Keith Hall

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