In the Hive of Deseret

DESCRIPTION: "When the Saints first reached the mountains From off the desert plains... They swell'd their joyful strains." "Here we thrive in the hive, In the hive of Deseret." The land was barren when they arrived; now it is productive and the Mormons an example
AUTHOR: probably William Willes
EARLIEST DATE: 1872 (Willes, The Mountain Warbler)
KEYWORDS: travel home | Mormon bee hive
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lingenfelter/Dwyer/Cohen-SongsOfAmericanWest, pp. 192-193, "In the Hive of Deseret'" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: William Willes, _The Mountain Warbler: Being a Collection of Original Songs and Recitations, by WIlliam Willes, with a Selection from Other writes, for the Use of Choirs, Sabbath Schools and Families_, Deseret News Book and Job Establishment, Salt Lake City, 1872 (available on Google Books), pp. 36-37, "(no title)" (1 text, tune referenced)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bay of Biscay" (tune, according to Willes)
NOTES [125 words]: The reference to a "hive" is probably an allusion to bees, which were a symbol of Mormon Utah.
The "stone the builders Did scornfully reject" is an allusion to Psalm 118:22, "The stone that the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," which is quoted in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17.
Not everything in the Willes book is by Willes (and, we might add, it's texts only; no tunes are printed; despite its title, it's not what I would call a book for choirs!). Willes generally attributes poems written by others, and this has no attribution. On the other hand, he put a "W. W." after some of his own poems, and it doesn't have that, either. It's almost certainly by Willes, but perhaps one could argue that it has not been proved. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: LDC192

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