How Lovely Shines The Morning Star

Representative Text

1 How lovely shines the morning star!
In twilight sky bright gleams afar;
The reign of night is ended.
Creation stirs to hail the light
Whose glories now with radiance bright
Stream forth in beauty splendid.
Both far And near
All things living Thanks are giving,
Praise outpouring,
Earth and sky the Lord adoring.

2 Then haste, my soul, thy song to raise,
Delay thou not thy Lord to praise,
Bow down in adoration.
For glory, Lord, to Thee belongs,
Thy praise resounds in grateful songs
Thou Lord of all creation.
Let all Recall
Hymns of gladness Without sadness
For Thy favor
And Thy mercy never waver.

3 Tho' evil spirits thro' the night
With hellish craft and watchful spite
Came round me without number,
Yet Thou, O Jesus, with Thy pow'r
Wast near me in that threat'ning hour,
Didst guard me in my slumber.
Praise be To Thee,
My Contender And defender,
I'll adore Thee
While on earth I walk before Thee.

4 Pour down Thy grace in cheering streams,
And warm my heart with mercy's beams
From heav'n, Thy throne of beauty;
Thy Spirit ever lead and guide
That in my calling I abide
And find my joy in duty.
Send light And might
That each measure, Plan and pleasure,
Heav'nward tending,
E'er in Thee may find its ending.

5 Keep grief, if this may be, away;
If not, Thy will be done, I pray,
My choice to thine resigning.
Then, O my heart, cast care aside,
God through the cross His own hath tried;
Bear loss without repining.
Hope still Through ill;
To God cleaving, Grace receiving,
We shall wonder
At God's goodness here and yonder.

Amen.



Source: The Lutheran Hymnal #546

Translator: Frances Elizabeth Cox

Cox, Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. George V. Cox, born at Oxford, is well known as a successful translator of hymns from the German. Her translations were published as Sacred Hymns from the German, London, Pickering. The 1st edition, pub. 1841, contained 49 translations printed with the original text, together with biographical notes on the German authors. In the 2nd edition, 1864, Hymns from the German, London, Rivingtons, the translations were increased to 56, those of 1841 being revised, and with additional notes. The 56 translations were composed of 27 from the 1st ed. (22 being omitted) and 29 which were new. The best known of her translations are "Jesus lives! no longer [thy terrors] now" ; and ”Who are these like stars appeari… Go to person page >

Author: Burkhard Wiesenmeyer

Wiesenmeyer, Burchard, was a native of Helmstadt, and died at Petershagen (probably Petershagen near Alt-Landsberg), apparently before 1691. He was from 1637 to 1644, and probably somewhat longer, one of the masters in the Greyfriars Gymnasium at Berlin. (Koch, iii. 341; M. Michael Schirmer. By Dr. J. F. Bachmann, Berlin, 1859, p. 220, &c.) He assisted in preparing the two hymn-books which his colleague at Berlin, Johann Crüger (p. 271, Nos. 1, 4), issued in 1640 and 1653. To these he contributed a few recasts of earlier hymns. The only one translation into English is noted at p. 1091, i. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)  Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: How lovely now the morning star
Title: How Lovely Shines The Morning Star
Original Language: German
Author: Burkhard Wiesenmeyer
Translator: Frances Elizabeth Cox
Meter: 8.8.7.8.8.7.8.8.8
Source: Adapted from a 17th Century cento by Wiesenmeyer
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

WIE SCHÖN LEUCHTET

Adapting a tune written for Psalm 100 found in Wolff Köphel's Psalter (1538), Nicolai composed WIE SCHÖN LEUCHTET, which was published with the text in 1599. Although the tune was originally more varied rhythmically, the hymnal version here is isorhythmic (all equal rhythms) and set to the rich ha…

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