Now hush your cries, and shed no tear

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Now hush your cries, and shed no tear

Translator (from German): Catherine Winkworth; Translator (from Latin): Nikolaus Herman; Author: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius
Tune: CALM HEART
Published in 9 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Now calm your heart and dry each tear,
on such death none should look with fear;
a faithful Christian now has won,
and with this death true life's begun.
These bones, now dead, again shall feel
new warmth and vigor thro' them steal;
and reunited they shall soar
on high to live forevermore.

2 The buried grain of wheat must die,
and long in withered state must lie,
yet springs to light all sweet and fair,
its proper fruit at last to bear.
E'en so this body, made of dust,
to earth we once again entrust,
where it shall slumber free from pain
till from the dead it rise again.

3 God breathed into this house of clay
the spirit that has passed away;
the righteous mind, the noble heart,
the living faith did Christ impart.
Ah! Would that promised day were here
when Christ will once again appear
and bring them to their heav'nly home
who have been buried in the tomb.

Source: Christian Worship: Hymnal #851

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Translator (from German): Catherine Winkworth

Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >

Translator (from Latin): Nikolaus Herman

Herman, Nicolaus, is always associated with Joachimsthal in Bohemia, just over the mountains from Saxony. The town was not of importance till the mines began to be extensively worked about 1516. Whether Herman was a native of this place is not known, but he was apparently there in 1518, and was certainly in office there in 1524. For many years he held the post of Master in the Latin School, and Cantor or Organist and Choirmaster in the church. Towards the end of his life he suffered greatly from gout, and had to resign even his post as Cantor a number of years before his death. He died at Joachimsthal, May 3, 1561. (Koch, i. 390-398; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xii. 186-188, &c.) He was a great friend and helper of J. Mathesius (q.v.)… Go to person page >

Author: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius

Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, "The Christian Pindar" was born in northern Spain, a magistrate whose religious convictions came late in life. His subsequent sacred poems were literary and personal, not, like those of St. Ambrose, designed for singing. Selections from them soon entered the Mozarabic rite, however, and have since remained exquisite treasures of the Western churches. His Cathemerinon liber, Peristephanon, and Psychomachia were among the most widely read books of the Middle Ages. A concordance to his works was published by the Medieval Academy of America in 1932. There is a considerable literature on his works. --The Hymnal 1940 Companion… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Now hush your cries, and shed no tear
German Title:	Hört auf mit Trauern und Klagen
Author:	Aurelius Clemens Prudentius
Translator (from German):	Catherine Winkworth
Translator (from Latin):	Nikolaus Herman
Meter:	8.8.8.8
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain