Early in 2007, while staying at the Old Rectory in Bemerton, I set four verses of George Herbert’s poem The Flower at the suggestion of Canon Judy Rees of the George Herbert in Bemerton Group, who had invited a number of composers to make new settings of Herbert’s poetry as hymns for congregational use. I subsequently re-worked this simple hymn-tune into the present more elaborate version as a short anthem for unaccompanied choir, especially for Ex Cathedra and Jeffrey Skidmore. This version is