Keble was the son of the Vi­car of Colne. Af­ter a brill­iant ca­reer at Ox­ford Un­i­ver­si­ty, he took Ho­ly Ord­ers and be­came Cur­ate at East Leach and Bur­thorpe. In 1827, he pub­lished The Christ­ian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sun­days and Ho­ly Days Through­out the Year, which was an in­stant suc­cess. In 1831, Ke­ble be­came a pro­fess­or of po­e­try at Ox­ford. In 1833, he laid the found­a­tion of the Ox­ford Move­ment by de­liv­er­ing his fa­mous As­size Ser­mon. In 1835, he ac­cept­ed the vi­car­age at Hurs­ley, where he stayed the rest of his life.

Keble was a mod­est man, and prob­ab­ly thought less of his own work than did the least of his ad­mir­ers. He once ac­com­pa­nied the vi­car of a par­ish in south­ern En­gland on his vis­it to the Sun­day School. The su­per­in­tend­ent asked Ke­ble to say a few words to the child­ren, who were al­rea­dy ac­quaint­ed with his hymns, so that they might more ea­si­ly re­mem­ber them. Ke­ble de­murred, but when the su­per­in­tend­ent per­sist­ed, said “May they sing some­thing?” When they fin­ished, his face was beam­ing as he said:

My dear child­ren, you sang most beau­ti­ful­ly in tune; may your whole lives be equal­ly in tune, and then you will sing with the an­gels in hea­ven.

Sources

Hymns

1. Ave Maria! Blessèd Maid!
2. Bethlehem, above All Cities Blest
3. Blest Are the Pure in Heart
4. Christ Before Thy Door Is Waiting
5. Creator Savor, Strengthening Guide
6. Days of Hope and Pray­er Are Past, The
7. Earth Is All the Lord’s, with All, The
8. Father, What Treasures of Sweet Thought
9. From Deeps So Wild and Drear
10. God Is Not in the Earthquake, but Behold
11. God Our Hope and Strength Abiding
12. God, the Lord, a King Remaineth
13. Gracious Savior, Gentle Shepherd
14. Hail, Gladdening Light
15. How Pleasant, Lord of Hosts, How Dear
16. How the Newborn Saints, Assembling
17. In Troublous Days of Anguish and Rebuke
18. Lessons Sweet of Spring Returning
19. Live-Long Night We’ve Toiled in Vain, The
20. Living Stream, as Crystal Clear, A
21. Lo, from the Eastern Hills the Lord
22. Lord, Be My Judge, for I Have Trod
23. Lord, in Thy Name Thy Servants Plead
24. Lord, Lift My Heart to Thee at Morn
25. Lord of Life, Prophetic Spirit
26. Lord, Thy Heart in Love Hath Yearned
27. Lord, Thou Hast Searched Me Out and Known
28. Mercies of the Lord My God, The
29. Midday Sun with Fiercest Glare, The
30. My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Me?
31. My Savior, Can It Ever Be?
32. My Shepherd Is the Living God
33. My Shepherd Is the Lord, I Know
34. New Every Morn­ing Is the Love
35. O Father of Long Suffering Grace
36. O God of Mercy, God of Might
37. O Lord My God, Do Thy Ho­ly Will
38. O Love Unseen, We Know Thee Nigh
39. O Say Not, Dream Not
40. O Shame on Thee, Listless Heart
41. O Timely Happy, Timely Wise
42. O Who Shall Dare in This Frail Scene?
43. Once in His Name Who Made Thee
44. Our God in Glory Sits on High
45. Praise the Lord, for He Is Love
46. Praise Ye the Lord from Heaven
47. Red o’er the Forest Peers the Setting Sun
48. Seed of Jacob, One and All, The
49. Shadow of the Almighty’s Cloud, The
50. Silent Joy That Sinks So Deep, The
51. Sing the Song Unheard Before
52. Slowly the Gleaming Stars Retire
53. Sound High Jehovah’s Name
54. Spirit of Christ, Thine Earnest Give
55. Spirit of Light and Truth, to Thee
56. Spirit of Might and Sweetness Too
57. Sun of My Soul
58. Sweet Nurslings of the Vernal Skies
59. Then, Fainting Soul, Arise and Sing
60. There Is a Book That All May Read
61. Thou Framer of the Light and Dark
62. Twilight Hour Is Sweet at Morn, The
63. Voice That Breathed O’er Eden, The
64. When Brothers Part for Manhood’s Race
65. When Christ to Village Comes or Town
66. When God of Old Came Down from Heav’n
67. Who for the Like of Me Will Care?
68. Who Is God’s Chosen Priest?
69. Why Doth My Savior Weep?
70. Why Should We Faint and Fear to Live Alone?
71. Wish Not, Dear Friends, My Pain Away
72. Word Supreme, Before Crea­tion