O Jesu, süßes Licht, nun ist die Nacht vergangen

Here is my translation of the morning hymn, “O Jesu, süßes Licht, nun ist die Nacht vergangen” (Joachim Lange, d. 1744), from Evang.-Lutherisches Gesangbuch #607, originally appearing anonymously in Geistreiches Gesang Buch (Halle, 1697), as Fischer states. Further, authorship was personally confirmed by the author himself to Inspector Grischow and also attested by his son-in-law J. J. Rambach (!) in his Hessia-Darmstadt KGsb (1733) by the initial “L.” The Wittenberg faculty, in its assessment of the Freylinghausen hymnal (Frankfurt, 1716) criticizes st. 2:3–5, saying “to establish three essential parts of man as spirit, soul, and body, is unscriptural.” Cunz notes that this beautiful morning hymn remains the crown of its author. So much for Fischer. Julian cites a translation by Charles Wesley into 7 stanzas of 6 lines each, which I include below (the original st. 7 seems to have been subsumed into his st. 6). The appointed melody is “O Gott du frommer Gott.”

 

O JESUS, sweetest Light,
Now is the night-time ended,
Now hast Thou me embraced
Again in radiance splendid;
Now all that in me dwells
From gentle sleep ascends,
And now with deep desire
To Thee, my Lord, extends.

2 What off’ring shall I give
To Thee, my Father solely?
I would immerse myself
Into Thy mercy wholly,
In body, spirit, soul,
For all the present day
This be my sacrifice
For nothing else I may.

3 Therefore, my God, behold,
My soul is Thy possession,
Then take it as Thine own,
Be wed with Thy creation
Thou hold’st my spirit in
The power of Thy love,
Therein may’st Thou, O Lord,
Thyself all glorious prove.

4 My body too let be
Thy temple dedicated,
Thy dwelling and Thy house,
Oh, Life for which I’ve waited!
Within me live and dwell,
Direct and govern me,
Then body, spirit, soul,
Are joined as one with Thee.

5 My limbs now wear the robes
With Thy dear blood imprinted;
Lord, grant my soul to be
Thine image clearly minted
In faith’s decor of gold,
In very righteousness,
Which is for every soul
The true and glorious dress.

6 My Jesus, dress Thou me
With wisdom, love, forbearing,
And chasteness, by the force
of Thy good Spirit’s sharing;
Yet crown me most of all
With true humility,
Then am I well adorned,
And dressed most splendidly.

7 Abide this day, O Lord,
In clearness fixed before me,
Thy omnipresence let
Surround me and restore me,
And through heart, mind, and mouth,
My actions all empow’r,
To praise Thee fervently,
My God, at every hour.

8 Oh, bless my words and speech,
My thinking, and my doing,
And let Thy Spirit guide
My seeking and pursuing,
That all I do alone
To Thy acclaim may tend,
And that I may remain
Thine only without end.

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

CHARLES WESLEY 1739 / MORAVIAN HYMN-BOOK 1754, 1886.

Jesu, Thy light again I view,
Again Thy mercy’s beams I see,
And all within me wakes anew
To share the joy of life in Thee; [To pant for Thy immensity
Again my thoughts to Thee aspire
In fervent flames of strong desire.

2 But Oh, what off’ring shall I give
To Thee, the Lord of earth and skies?
My soul and body now receive,
A holy, living sacrifice;
Small as it is, ‘tis all my store,
More shouldst Thou have if I had more.

3  Now then, my God, Thou hast my soul;
No longer mine, but Thine I am:
Guard Thou Thy own; possess it whole,
Cheer it by hope, with love inflame.
Thou hast my spirit; there display
Thy glory to the perfect day.

4 Thou hast my flesh; Thy hallow’d shrine,
Devoted solely to Thy will:
Here let Thy light for ever shine,
This house still let Thy presence fill:
O Source of Life, live, dwell, and move
In me, till all my life be love.

5 O may I never from Thee stray, [O, never in these veils of shame,
Or be again subdued by sin; [Sad fruits of sin, my glorying be!
Guide me, my life, my truth, my way, [Clothe with salvation through Thy name
Thy blood preserve my garment clean, [My soul, and may I put on Thee!
Oh, let Thy blood and righteousness [Be living faith my costly dress,
My beauty be, my glorious dress. [And my best robe Thy righteousness!

6-7 Send down Thy likeness from above,
And let this my adorning be;
Clothe me with wisdom, patience, love,
With lowliness and purity,
Than gold and pearls more precious far,
And brighter than the morning star.

8 Lord, arm me with Thy Spirit’s might,
Since I am called by Thy great Name,
In Thee my wand’ring thoughts unite,
Of all my works be Thou the aim;
Thy love attend me all my days,
And my sole business be Thy praise.

GERMAN

O Jesu süßes Licht,
nun ist die Nacht vergangen,
nun hat dein Gnadenglanz
aufs neue mich umfangen;
nun ist, was in mir ist,
vom Schlafe aufgeweckt,
und hat nun in Begier
zu dir sich ausgestreckt.

2 Was soll ich dir denn nun,
mein Gott, für Opfer schenken?
Ich will mich ganz und gar
in deine Gnad einsenken,
mit Leib, mit Seel, mit Geist
heut diesen ganzen Tag:
das soll mein Opfer sein,
weil ich sonst nichts vermag.

3 Drum siehe da mein Gott,
da hast du minen Seele,
sie sei dein Eigenthum,
mit ihr dich heut vermähle
in deiner Liebeskraft;
da hast du meinen Geist,
darinnen wollst du dich
verklären allermeist.

4 Da sei dann auch mein Leib
zum Tempel dir ergeben,
zur Wohnung und zum Haus,
ach allerliebstes Leben:
ach wohn, ach leb in mir,
beweg und rege mich,
so hat Geist, Seel und Leib
mit dir vereinigt sich.

5 Dem Leibe hab ich jetzt
die Kleider angeleget:
laß meiner Seele sein
dein Bildniß eingepräget
im güldnen Glaubensschmuck,
in der Gerechtigkeit,
so allen Seelen ist
das rechte Ehrenkleid.

6 Mein Jesu, schmücke mich
mit Weisheit und mit Liebe.
mit Keuschheit, mit Geduld,
durch deines Geistes Triebe,
auch mit der Demuth mich
vor allem kleide an,
so bin ich wohl geschmückt
und köstlich angethan.

7 Bleib du mir diesen Tag
stets vor den Augen schweben;
laß dein Allgegenwart
mich wie die Luft umgeben,
auf daß mein ganzes Thun
durch Herz, durch Sinn und Mund
dich lobe inniglich,
mein Gott, zu aller Stund.

8 Ach, segne, was ich thu,
ja rede und gedenke;
durch deines Geists Kraft
es also führ und lenke,
daß Alles nur gescheh
zu deines Namens Ruhm,
und daß ich unverrückt
verbleib dein Eigenthum.