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MrGuedes Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Can "save" mean "except"?
Hello! I have a question about the lyrics of an old hymn. Well... actually a few questions... The hymn, Be Thou My Vision, begins like this:
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart!
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art!
My questions are at the second verse.
First: naught is an old form for nought, which means "nothing", or "zero", isn't it?
Second, and also the most relevant question: what does save mean there? I've always heard of "to save" as meaning "to guard, to protect someone or something from danger, harm, or even death".
This doesn't seem to be that case, though... Here, it looks to me like it's a conjunction, meaning "except". The sentence would then mean "nothing be all else to me, except for Thee; Thou art the only one who's everything to me". Can this be, somehow, possible?
Third: that verse is an imperative, right? It means "may nothing be all to me, except for Thee: may Thou be everything to me", doesn't it?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart!
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art!
My questions are at the second verse.
First: naught is an old form for nought, which means "nothing", or "zero", isn't it?
Second, and also the most relevant question: what does save mean there? I've always heard of "to save" as meaning "to guard, to protect someone or something from danger, harm, or even death".
This doesn't seem to be that case, though... Here, it looks to me like it's a conjunction, meaning "except". The sentence would then mean "nothing be all else to me, except for Thee; Thou art the only one who's everything to me". Can this be, somehow, possible?
Third: that verse is an imperative, right? It means "may nothing be all to me, except for Thee: may Thou be everything to me", doesn't it?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
Top answer
MrGuedes First: naught is an old form for nought, which means "nothing", or "zero", isn't it? It is a variant spelling of "nought". MrGuedes Second, and also the most relevant question: what does save mean there?
- MrGuedes First: naught is an old form for nought, which means "nothing", or "zero", isn't it?
- It is a variant spelling of "nought".
- MrGuedes Second, and also the most relevant question: what does save mean there?
- Do you have access to a dictionary?
- w=save&ls=a " at Onelook.
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2 Answers
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MrGuedesFirst: naught is an old form for nought, which means "nothing", or "zero", isn't it?It is a variant spelling of "nought".
MrGuedesSecond, and also the most relevant question: what does save mean there?Do you have access to a dictionary? Here is "
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enoon["Naught"] is a variant spelling of "nought".OK. I thought it was an old form.
enoonThis "save" is a different word altogether from the "rescue" one.OK, I've seen it. My hunch is confirmed.
enoonThe grammar is strange. I call that use of "be" invocation. The line is supposed to mean "Let e
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