Not everyone in Utah recognizes the name Edward L. Hart. But a great many recognize what he had to say. Hart wrote the words to the popular LDS hymn, "Our Savior's Love." And, in the mode of a true "bard," he fashioned poems for many of the culture's grandest moments — including "The Mormon Pioneer Saga" and other lyrics to celebrate the Great Trek.
Hart passed away last week at age 91. Born on a farm in Bloomington, Idaho, he kept the common touch throughout his life. In a printed tribute after his passing, granddaughter Sarah showcased his human side by telling how he would feed scrub jays out of his hand, did the crossword puzzle daily and loved to watch "Wheel of Fortune."
But it was in his twin vocations of educator and writer where Hart would make his mark. His life would have been noteworthy if he'd simply remained an academician. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and in later years served as emeritus professor of English at Brigham Young University. He also taught at Berkeley and the University of Washington. But what elevated Hart in the world of letters was his ability to wed the keen analytical mind of a scholar with the lyric gifts of a poet. He could write a treatise such as "The Relevance of Literature" one day, then turn his eye to verse the next and produce poems with titles like "New York Provincial," "The Transformations of Love" and his lovely poems about the seasons. He worked with some of the best and brightest. His verse from the collection "To Utah" was set to music by Robert Cundick. Crawford Gates wrote the music for the hymn "Our Savior's Love."
There, perhaps at his most vulnerable and reverential, Hart writes:
Loud may the sound of hope
ring till al doubt departs.
Hart spent his life ringing out the sound of hope.
Appreciative readers will remember and read his work for years to come.