All our good in thee begun,
Glorious is thy reputation
For the wonders thou hast done:
Unto thee be praises given,
Deepest depth to highest heaven.
Few be in this generation
Who upon thy name still call,
Who yet love thee, who yet seek thee,
Who desire thee as their all,
Yet thy praise is not confounded:
Babes shall praise thy might unbounded.
Yes! 'tis painful! here we own it;
Shall we not in anguish sigh
When we see the many righteous
Who within the grave now lie?
How securely sleeps the sinner!
Is it not a dreadful wonder?
Yet shall I, O Lord, my master,
Ever love thee faithfully,
For I know, O faithful Father,
Of the love thou hast for me:
Here on earth possess my spirit
That I may thy heav'n inherit.
Lord, thy name is greatly lauded,
Praised for all the world to see,
Known where'er the sun is shining,
Through the air, and land, and sea—
Crieth earth and crieth heaven,
To Jehovah praise be given!
Lord, my master! O how glorious
Is thy name within my soul!
Therefore I thy wondrous workings
Shall before the world extol!
Give thy pow'r, that I may render
Praise to thee in holy wonder.
—Joachim Neander, from Psalm 8:1
Trans. Z. Pletan
Tune: Unser Herrscher, unser König, Joachim Neander
About the Author
Joachim Neander (1650–1680) was a rowdy college student who went to a church service for fuel. Instead, he encountered the Lord Jesus Christ. He became an unordained assistant at St. Martin's Church in Bremen, and would likely have been appointed pastor of his own church had he not died at the age of thirty. He is best known for writing the original German of "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty."Thoughts
(My apologies for not posting last week. I was camping with my family in the Rockies, and decided not to do much with the Internet.)I originally encountered the tune for this hymn when researching for John Newton's "Confidence." Always one to look into original lyrics, I discovered that no English translation of the original text was available (one was made a couple centuries ago; I couldn't find it on Google Books). I found the original German in a couple old hymnals I digitally own, and began. This one was relatively easy, since (a) it has an ABCB rhyme rather than ABAB, and (b) I decided to employ a fair amount of the Winkworth approach of liberal paraphrase.
The tune is also different from the last time it was posted, since I found another version in one of my old German hymnals. It is easier to sing in this incarnation, since it doesn't go up as high. (Side note: it is a lot of fun to realize a harmony from a figured bass.) Interestingly, the original, as seen in Joachim Neandri Glaub- und Liedes-Ubung (Joachim Neander's Belief- and Song-Book), is the hardest to sing I've seen, utilizing many high notes and switching from duple to triple time for the last two lines. It is, however, stunningly beautiful. You can listen here.
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