Thank You

Dear readers,

I am pleased to refer you to a new post at Concordia Academic on Walther's Hymnal.

Also, I note with pleasure that on the book's page on the CPH website the phone number has been replaced with a full-fledged "add to cart" button. Everything seems to be progressing well, thanks be to God.

Finally, I thank you all for your comments and criticisms on this blog so far these several years while I've worked toward this project. Your input has been a great help. I look forward to having your company as I continue to explore the lost shores and forlorn grottoes of Lutheran hymnody in the future, unless the Lord returns first. I look forward to that even more.

—M.C.

Walther's Hymnal Excerpt #3: In All My Plans, Thou Highest

Here is excerpt #3 from Walther's Hymnal from the "Travel" subsection of the category "Estate and Vocation." In later hymnals it has been often moved to the category "Vertrauen" or "Trust" and shortened to a cento of 6 or 9 stanzas. This hymn by the gifted hymnwriter Paul Flemming (1609–1640) was first published in Teutsche Poëmata (1642), though it was written  almost a decade earlier, in 1633, during the poet's travels in the service of a German embassy that made the long and arduous journey to Moscow and all the way to Ispahan (Persia). Flemming was sent on this embassy by Duke Frederick von Holstein-Gottorf, whose brother-in-law was Czar Michael I of Russia. Several of hymnals make a cento suggesting trust in the context of life's journey, or when embarking upon marriage. 

Our translation is a composite based on that of Henry Mills (Horae Germanicae, 1856).

Note that in KELG, certain words are indicated in the last line of each stanza so that it may be sung with a slightly longer original meter; this has been replicated here, though it is preferred that it be sung to the original tune, which was formerly the setting for a German paraphrase of Psalm 6. In order to adapt the lyrics to a more popular tune, "O Welt, ich muß dich lassen," one trochee was removed each final line. The shorter tune is given in Walther's Hymnal in the musical appendix. The longer tune "O Welt, ich muß dich laßen" (or "Innsbruck"), may be found in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, and Lutheran Service Book.

Note: The following text, as with all in this Walther's Hymnal series, is an excerpt of a CPH publication and does not fall under the Creative Commons License.

 
IN ALL my plans, Thou Highest,
If counsel Thou suppliest,
My efforts may succeed:
But ev’ry best endeavor,
Without Thy smile of favor,
Can but to [surest] failure lead.

  2  No toil by day, nor sorrow
From evening till the morrow,
Nor murm’ring aught avails:
My goings,—I confide them
To Thee, my God, to guide them;
[Tow’rd faith] Thy mercy never fails.

 . . . (stanza 3 is included in the published version)

  4  Pursuing Thy direction,
I’ll trust in Thy protection,
Amid surrounding foes;
Thy promise, always near me,
With constant hope will cheer me,
Till Thou the [promised] good disclose.

 . . . (stanza 5 is included in the published version)

  6  I travel to my station,
My faraway vocation,
Which He hath bid me fill;
His blessing He shall send me,
In His direction tend me,
To serve [His world] as is His will.

  7  Though deserts wild enwreath me,
Yet Christians friends are with me,
And Christ Himself is near;
He who hath safely kept me,
And from all dangers swept me
Can [also] keep me safely here

  8  He on our way will speed us,
And on our journey lead us,
And help us as we live,
Body and health sustaining,
Time, wind, and rain ordaining,—
All things [we need] our God shall give.

  9  His angel, my protector,
Drives off each foe and specter,
And keeps them far from me 
As we by faith pursue Him,
We make our progress through Him,
Yet how, we scarcely [know or] see.

 . . . (stanzas 10–12 are included in the published version)

13  But if it please Him mainly,
And if my mind not vainly
Its whisperings express,
God I shall praise in duty
With many strains of beauty
When peace [at home] I do possess.

14  Loved ones He will be keeping
Blest while awake and sleeping,
Who is my shield and theirs;
And He will be conceding
Our common wishes, heeding
Our many [common] tearful pray’rs.

15  Be His, my spirit, wholly,
And trust His wisdom solely,
Who has Thy being blest:
Whate’er on earth be given,
Thy Father rules in heaven,
Appointing what [for thee] is best.

Heiliger ewiger Gott

Here is my translation of a hymn originally written as a vernacular Sanctus for Holy Trinity among the Bohemian Brethren, beginning "Heiliger, ewiger Gott…" (P. Herbert, 1531, 1566; see Kirchengesenge, 1588, fol. 104), which is also included in Keuchenthal's Kirchengesenge (1573), pp. 383–385, where it is appointed as the Sanctus for the feast of the Holy Trinity. The tune seems to be a modal variation on that of the ancient office hymn.

HOLY EVERLASTING GOD,
Holy Lord of Saboath
Holy, blessed Trinity,
Thine the glory ever be.

2. Father, Son, and Spirit, God,
Now receive our praise and laud;
Filled be earth from deep to height
With Thy glory, pow’r, and might.

3. FATHER of Christ Jesus, Lord,
God our Maker thrice adored,
Who uphold'st us by Thine hand,
Thine be thanks in every land.

4. Thou who sent’st Thy dearest Son
From Thy lofty heav’nly throne
To us in this vale of grief
To bring Adam’s sons relief:

5. Let us all, from high to low,
Thee and Jesus only know;
Thy Beloved grant, that we
May in Him accepted be.

6. JESUS Christ, Eternal Word,
Image of the Father, Lord,
His eternal Wisdom, Son,
Evermore Begotten One.

7. Unbegotten Deity
Essence from division free,
Yet in person Thou alone
Art the everlasting Son.

8. Jesus Christ, our thanks to Thee
Who a Man didst deign to be
To redeem man’s nature lost:
Save us by Thy precious cost.

9. HOLY GHOST, Thou Comfort fair,
Who from both proceedest e’er,
Equal glory is Thy due:
Make our heart and mind anew.

10. Stir within us godly fear,
Let our heart Thy Word revere,
Grant anointing by Thy pow’r,
Stay Thy Church at every hour.

11. Sanctify us and bestow
That we in Thy way may go;
And in Jesus’ righteousness
Come to heaven by Thy grace.

12. God who art in person three,
Yet in substance Unity,
Undivided, very God,
Ever Thine be praise and laud.

13. Hear us, Holy Majesty,
As we lift our pray’r to Thee
In Thy name: oh, kindly deign
To reply Amen, Amen.

Translation © 2012 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Heiliger, ewiger Gott,
Heiliger Herr Zebaoth,
Heilige Dreifaltigkeit,
Dir sei Lob in Ewigkeit.

2. Gott Vater, Gott Sohn und Geist,
werd von uns herrlich gepreist:
alle Land, Berge und Thal,
werden deiner Ehren voll.

3. Vater des Herrn Jesu Christ,
der du unser Schöpfer bist,
und erhältst uns von Anfang:
Dir sagen wir Lob und Dank.

4. Der du hast dein lieben SOhn,
gesandt vom himmlischen Thron,
zu uns in den Jammerthal,
aufzurichten Adams all.

5. O laß uns beid groß und klein,
dich und ihn kennen allein,
und das ewig Leben han:
nimm uns im Geliebten an.

6. Christe, du ewiges Wort,
des Vaters Bild, Gott von Art,
Seine ewige Weisheit,
geboren von Ewigkeit.

7. Ungeborn ist die Gottheit,
im Wesen kein Unterscheid:
sondern nach deiner Person
bistu sein ewiger Sohn.

8. Wir danken dir, Jesu Christ,
der du ein Mensch worden bist,
hast erlöst Menschlich Natur:
Hilf uns, deiner Kreatur.

9. Heiliger Geist, höchster Trost,
von beiden dein Ausgang hast,
gleicher Herrlichkeit und Güt,
verneu unser alt Gemüt.

10. Erweck in uns Gottesfurcht,
daß dass Herz deim Wort gehorcht,
und salb uns mit deiner Kraft,
sei mit uns, dein Gemeinschaft.

11. Heilig und richt uns auch an,
daß wir gehn auf rechter Bahn,
in Christi Gerechtigkeit
erlangen die Seligkeit.

12. Gott in Person dreifaltig,
aber im Wesen einig,
unzerteilter, wahrer Gott,
Dir sei Lob, Ehr früh und spat.

13. Erhör dies unser Gebet,
O Göttliche Majestät,
Welchs wir thun in deim Namen;
sprich drauf gnädiglich, Amen.