{"slug": "almost-persuaded", "title": "Almost Persuaded", "first_line": "\"Almost persuaded\" Now to believe", "author": "philip-paul-bliss", "author_date": "1871", "foot": "trochaic", "meter": {"pattern": [9, 9, 6, 6, 6, 4], "doubled": false, "refrain": false, "alleluia": false, "irregular": true}, "topics": ["Invitation", "Repentance", "Salvation", "Holy Spirit"], "scripture": ["Acts 26:28", "2 Corinthians 6:2", "Hebrews 3:15"], "provenance": {"layer": "text", "source": "gospel-hymns-sacred-songs-1875", "source_kind": "hand_encoded", "pd_basis": "pub_pre_1931", "pd_evidence": "Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876), words and music. The standard attribution, which this import did NOT verify from a scan and which the PD gate does not rest on, is first publication in The Charm (Chicago: Root & Cady, 1871). Transcribed syllable by syllable from the dated page image of Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs (New York: Biglow & Main, 1875), no. 75, printed page 72 \u2014 archive.org gospelhymnssacre00blis_0, leaf 76 \u2014 which is headed \"Almost Persuaded.\", carries the motto \"Almost Thou persuadest me to be a Christian.\"\u2014Acts 26:28, credits \"P. P. Bliss.\" at the left, sets stanzas 1 and 2 interlinear under the staves and prints stanza 3 as a block below them. Collated word for word against the same plates in the independently scanned Gospel Hymns Consolidated, Nos. 1 to 4 (1883), no. 75, printed page 72 (archive.org hymnsconso00blis, leaf 78). THERE IS NO REFRAIN: the piece is three through-set stanzas over four four-bar systems. US public domain: the earliest printing this import actually opened is dated 1875, both witnesses are themselves pre-1931, and the author died in 1876, so it is also PD in life+70 jurisdictions. PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALISATION FOLLOW THE 1875 LEAF, including its capitals after a closing quotation mark (\"Now\", \"Come\", \"Turn\"), the semicolons ending lines 1 and 2 of stanzas 1 and 2 (stanza 3 ends those lines with exclamation marks), the comma after \"say\" and after \"way\", the colon after \"dear\" in stanza 2, the two-word \"can not\" in stanza 3, and the em-dashes in stanza 3's last two lines. ONE DIVERGENCE BETWEEN THE TWO WITNESSES, stated because it is a real difference and not a transcription choice: the 1875 leaf prints stanza 2's lines 1 and 2 as \"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed,\" \u2014 comma inside the closing quotation mark \u2014 while the later 1883 impression of the same plates shows no comma at either place (worn or filled type; stanza 1 has no comma on either leaf). The earlier and more complete 1875 reading is the one adopted here. The stanza-3 line \"Almost\u2014but lost!\" is set on the page with \"but lost!\" in italics; the corpus carries no italic markup and the words are given plain. TWO SYLLABIFICATION DEPARTURES, both in stanza 2 and both forced by the plate itself, which prints the word whole and centred across TWO noteheads instead of hyphenating it: \"lingering\" in line 4 is split \"lin -- gering\" (the plate gives that line six notes and the printed spelling seven syllables, so it is sung with the usual elision, ling'ring), and \"wanderer\" in line 6 is split \"wan -- derer\" (four notes, printed spelling five syllables, sung wand'rer). The printed spellings are kept; only the division into slots is editorial, and it is stated here.", "pd_jurisdictions": {"US": true}, "hymnary_ids": {"text_auth": "almost_persuaded_now_to_believe_almost_p", "total_instances": 905}}, "stanzas": {"1": {"syllabified": "\"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed\" Now to be -- lieve; \"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed\" Christ to re -- ceive; Seems now some soul to say, \"Go, Spir -- it, go Thy way, Some more con -- ven -- ient day On Thee I'll call.\"", "prose": ["\"Almost persuaded\" Now to believe;", "\"Almost persuaded\" Christ to receive;", "Seems now some soul to say,", "\"Go, Spirit, go Thy way,", "Some more convenient day", "On Thee I'll call.\""]}, "2": {"syllabified": "\"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed,\" Come, come to -- day; \"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed,\" Turn not a -- way; Je -- sus in -- vites you here, An -- gels are lin -- gering near, Prayers rise from hearts so dear: O wan -- derer, come.", "prose": ["\"Almost persuaded,\" Come, come today;", "\"Almost persuaded,\" Turn not away;", "Jesus invites you here,", "Angels are lingering near,", "Prayers rise from hearts so dear:", "O wanderer, come."]}, "3": {"syllabified": "\"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed,\" har -- vest is past! \"Al -- most per -- suad -- ed,\" doom comes at last! \"Al -- most\" can not a -- vail; \"Al -- most\" is but to fail! Sad, sad, that bit -- ter wail\u2014 \"Al -- most\u2014 but lost!\"", "prose": ["\"Almost persuaded,\" harvest is past!", "\"Almost persuaded,\" doom comes at last!", "\"Almost\" can not avail;", "\"Almost\" is but to fail!", "Sad, sad, that bitter wail\u2014", "\"Almost\u2014but lost!\""]}}, "license": "The hymn texts and tunes are in the public domain; per-layer provenance is recorded on each record."}