Text by Dorothy F. Gurney
O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
lowly we kneel in prayer before thy throne,
that theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
whom thou in sacred vow dost join in one.
O perfect Life, be thou their full assurance
of tender charity and steadfast faith,
of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
with childlike trust that fears no pain or death
Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife;
grant them the vision of the glorious morrow
that will reveal eternal love and life.
Le parole dell'inno nuziale "O Perfect Love" furono scritte nel 1883 dalla poetessa inglese Dorothy Frances Gurney. Il compositore e direttore d'orchestra inglese Joseph Barnby scrisse una melodia specifica per quel testo nel 1889, in occasione delle nozze del duca di York che sarebbe poi diventato Giorgio V.
