Through the Night Thy Angels Kept

Through the night Thy angels kept
Watch beside me while I slept;
Now the dark has passed away,
Thank Thee, Lord, for this new day.

North and south and east and west
May Thy holy Name be blest;
Everywhere beneath the sun,
As in Heaven, Thy will be done.

Give me food that I may live;
Every naughtiness forgive;
Keep all evil things away
From Thy little child this day.

Author: Unknown

This children's morning hymn appears in many 19th- and early 20th-century collections (often set to an arrangement of the Tallis Canon). No single author is consistently credited; it is usually listed as anonymous or traditional. Some hymnals loosely associate it with the broader 'children's prayer' tradition of figures such as Jane Taylor or Mary Duncan, but those attributions are not supported by primary sources.