'Mid all the traffic of the ways

341 St. Agnes. C. M.

1 ’Mid all the traffic of the ways,
   Turmoils without, within,
   Make in my heart a quiet place,
   And come and dwell therein.

2 A little shrine of quietness,
   All sacred to Thyself,
   Where Thou shalt all my soul possess,
   And I may find myself.

3 A little shelter from life’s stress,
   Where I may lay me prone,
   And bare my soul in loneliness,
   And know as I am known.

4 A little place of mystic grace,
   Of self and sin swept bare,
   Where I may look upon Thy face,
   And talk with Thee in prayer.
                         John Oxenham
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
Well, I'm continuing my record of choosing relatively obscure hymns! This one occurs in a mere 33 hymnals. but it certainly is an appropriate one for our hectic culture!

As for the author, his name is a pseudonym for William Arthur Dunkerley. His best-known hymn is "In Christ There Is No East or West." It occurs in 324 hymnals, including this hymnal as number 507.
</idle musing>