A new hymn in honour of St George, Lil San Ġorġ Mimmi t’Għajnejna, lyrics by Fr Geoffrey George Attard and music by George Camilleri, a leading brass player with the La Stella Band, was premiered on Sunday at the 11.00am Mass at St George’s Basilica, by the Laudate Pueri Choir, under the direction of Can. George J. Frendo.
This is what the author had to say about how it all started…
“At the end of summer 2018, during an informal conversation that I had with George Camilleri, a musician and bandsman with the La Stella Band of Victoria, we discussed the possibility of creating a hymn in honour of St George; it was agreed that I would write the words and he would compose music for it. In January 2019, I sat down and wrote a couple of verses in which I tried to express our common love for the martyr-saint who God, in his providence, gave us as our island’s Patron saint and heavenly Protector. Since I am used to writing poetry of a religious nature, I felt I had a challenge before me; I wanted to avoid writing a religious poem in favour of a short hymn that would be learnt and possibly remembered by heart.
I tried as best I could to allow my sincere Christian love for the saint determine the words I choose and the thoughts I would express. I wanted to create a hymn that would be a simple prayer that incarnates our ancient devotion to St George while not forgetting the bond he has with our island. Faith is what raises the heart up to God and so I decided that faith would be the theme that would characterise the refrain of the new hymn. Thus Lil San Ġorġ Mimmi t’Għajnejna came into being; I hope it will help all those who sing it, to raise up their spirit to God and his Son Jesus Christ, the King of Martyrs, for whom Saint George gave up his life and became Christendom’s most revered martyr-saint”.
Innu lil San Ġorġ Mimmi t’Għajnejna
O Glorjuż Martri ta’ Lidda,
xhud qalbieni tat-twemmin
lejk induru fit-talb tagħna
biex tmexxina tul is-snin.
Kif fl-imgħoddi sejjaħnielek
biex tissielet int għalina,
hekk illum f’riġlejk ninxteħtu
faraġ fittex li tagħtina.
Sliem għalik, mimmi t’għajnejna,
t’Għawdex tagħna glorja, unur:
fittex berraħ qawwet driegħek
biex tal-fidi ngħożżu l-fjur.
Sa mill-ibgħad żmien ta’ ġensna
fieres tagħna fis-Smewwiet –
rawk rebbieħ missirijietna
fuq il-qerq tad-dlamijiet…
għax kull meta ismek tlissen
qalb it-talb tal-ħerqanin,
tkebbset f’qalbna xrara mqaddsa,
lilna wrejt wiċċek ħanin.
Sliem għalik…