Die güldne Sonne. P. Gerhardt. [Morning. ] Lauxmann, in Koch, viii. 185, calls this "A splendid hymn of our poet, golden as the sun going forth in his beauty, full of force and of blessed peace in the Lord, full of sparkling thoughts of God." It first appeared as No. 25 in the Dritte Dutzet, Berlin, 1666, of Ebeling's edition of his Geistliclie Andachten, in 12 stanzas of 10 lines, entitled "Morning Blessing." In the editions of his Geistliche Lieder by Wackernagel, No. 98, and by Bachmann, No. 101. Included in J. Crüger's Praxis pietatis melica, 1672, and later editions, and recently as No. 449 in the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851. The beautiful melody (in the Irish Church Hymnal called “Franconia") is by Ebeling, and appeared with the hymn 1666, as above.
Translations in common use:—
1. The golden sunbeams with their joyous gleams. A translation of stanzas i.-iv., viii., ix., xii., by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 1st Series, 1855, p. 214, repeated, omitting the translations of stanzas ii., viii., ix., as No. 814, in Kennedy, 1863.
2. Evening and Morning. A very good translation beginning with stanza iv. (“Abend und Morgen"), and being stanza iv., viii.—xii., contributed by R. Massie, as No. 500, to the 1857 edition of Mercer's Church Psalm & Hymn Book. This form is included, in whole or part, in the Irish Church Hymnal, 1873, No. 8; Allon's Supplemental Hymns, No. 218; New Congregational Hymn Book, No. 1195; J. L. Porter's Collection, No. 100; Martineau's Collection, No. 425; Horder's Congregational Hymnal, No. 556, &c. Beginning with the translation of stanza ix. ("Gott, meine Krone") as "Father, O hear me," it is included as No. 636 in Kennedy, 1863, and the same in Mercer's Oxford edition, 1864, No. 384. Mr. Massie included it, prefixing translations of stanzas i.-iii., which begin, "Golden and glorious," in his Lyra Domestica, 1864, p. 106, and this full form is repeated as No. 379 in Reid's Praise Book, 1872.
Translations not in common use:— (1) "The sun's golden beams," by Miss Dunn, 1857,
p. 21. (2) “Sunbeams all golden,” by Miss Cox, 1864, p. 13. (3) “What is our mortal race” (beginning with st. vii), by E. Massie, 1866, p. 87. (4) “See the sun’s glorious light," by E. Massie, 1867, p. 8. (5) "The golden morning," by J. Kelly, 1867, p. 270. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which condemned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files