All My Heart This Night Rejoices

Translator: Catherine Winkworth

Author: Paul Gerhardt

Fröhlich soll mein herze springen. P. Gerhardt. [Christmas.] Included as No. 104 in the Frankfurt edition 1656, of Crüger's Praxis pietatis melica in 15 stanzas of 8 lines, reprinted in Wackernagel’s edition of his Geistliche Lieder, No. 5, and Bachmann's edition, No. 44; and included as No. 35 in the Unverfälscher Liedersegen, 1851. Lauxmann, in Koch, viii. 26, thus analyses it:

First a trumpet blast: Christ is born, God's Champion has appeared as a Bridegroom from his chamber (i., ii.). In the following 4 stanzas the poet seeks to set forth the mighty value of the Incarnation: is it not love when God gives us the Son of His Love (iii.), the Kingdom of Joy (iv.), and His Fellowship (v.). Yes, it is indeed the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world (vi.) Now he places himself as herald by the cradle of the Divine Child (vii.). He bids, as in Matt. xi. 28, all men (viii.), all they that labour (ix.), all the heavy laden (x.), and all the poor (xi.), to draw near. Then in conclusion he approaches in supplication as the shepherds and the Wise Men (xii.-xv.). He adores the Child as his source of life (xii.), his Lamb of God (xiii.), his Glory (xiv.), and promises to be ever true to Him (xv.). It is a glorious series of Christmas thoughts, laid as a garland on the manger at Bethlehem.

He adds that at the second day of the Christmas celebration, 1715, at Glaucha, near Halle, C. H. v. Bogatzky (q.v.), by the singing of stanzas xiii., xiv., was first clearly led to un¬derstand justification by faith in Jesus Christ.
Translations in common use:--
1. Let the voice of glad thanksgiving. A good translation of stanzas i.-iii., vi.-ix., by A. T. Russell, as No. 15 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book, 1848, and repeated, omitting the translations of stanzas vi.-viii. as No. 56 in his own Psalms & Hymns. 1851.
2. All my heart this night rejoices. A beautiful but rather free translation omitting stanzas iii.-v., xiii., xiv. by Miss Winkworth in the 2nd series of her Lyra Germanica 1858, p. 13, repeated in full in Brown-Borthwick's Supplemental Hymn &Tune Book, 1867, and omitting the translation of stanza vi. in J. L. Porter's Collection 1876. In Miss Winkworth's Chorale Book for England, 1863, No 31, the translations of stanzas ii., vi., xii. are omitted. The more important centos are the translations of stanzas i., ii., vii., viii. in Church Hymns, 1871, Allon's Supplemental Hymns, &c.; and the translations of i., vii.-ix., xii., xv. in the Supplement of 1880 to the Baptist Psalms & Hymns, 1858; and in America in the Dutch Reformed Hymns of the Church, 1869, the Hymns and Songs of Praise, N. Y., 1874, &c. Other centos are in the New Zealand Hymnal, 1872, the Evangelical Hymnal N. Y., 1880, the Methodist Sunday School Hymn Book, 1883, and Laudes Domini, N. Y., 1884.
3. All my heart with joy is springing. A good but free translation by Dr. Kennedy, as No. 100 in his Hymnologia Christiana, 1863, omitting stanzas iii.-v., ix., xiii., xiv. His translations of stanzas i., ii., vi., vii. were repeated in the Anglican Hymn Book, 1871.
4. Lightly bound my bosom, ringing. In full, by Dr. M. Loy, in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880.

--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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