Once more from rest I rise again

Representative Text

Once more from rest I rise again,
To greet a day of toil and pain,
My Heaven-appointed lot;
Unknowing what new grief may be
With this new day in store for me,
But it shall harm me not
I know full well; my loving God
Will send me not a hurtful load.

My burden every day is new,
But every day my God is true,
And all my cares hath borne;
Ere eventide can no man know
What Day shall bring of joy or woe,
And though it seem each morn
To some new path of suffering call,
With God I can surmount it all.

Since this I know, oh wherefore sink,
My faithless heart? And why thus shrink
To take thy load again?
Bear what thou canst, God bears thy lot,
The Lord of All, He stumbleth not;
Pure blessing shalt thou gain,
If thou with Him right onward go,
Nor fear'st to tread the path of woe.

My heart grows strong, all terrors fly
Whene'er I feel Thy love Most High,
Doth compass me around;
But would I have Thee for my shield,
No more to sin my soul must yield,
But in Thy ways be found;
Thou, God, wilt never walk my way
If from Thy paths my feet should stray.

But let me feel Thou guidest me,
And humbly I will follow Thee,
Lord, make me true and pure;
Then strong and dauntless in Thy might
Against a world of sin I'll fight,
And know my triumph sure;
Then bravely I can meet each day,
And fear it not, come what come may.

My God and Lord, I cast on Thee
The load that weighs too sore on me,
The yoke 'neath which I bow;
I lay my rank, my high command,
In my Almighty Father's hand,
Well knowing, Lord, that Thou
Wilt ne'er withdraw it, for Thy truth
Hath let me onward from my youth.

To Thee my kindred I commend,
For they are safe if Thou defend,
Oh guard them round about;
My sinful soul would shelter take
In Jesu's bosom, for whose sake
Thou wilt not cast her out;
When soul and body part at last,
Then all myself on Thee I cast.

Source: Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year #89

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Author: Anton Ulrich

Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, born Oct. 4, 1633, at Hitzaeker, on the Elbe above Lauenburg, the portion as younger son of his father, Duke August, who three years afterwards succeeded to the Dukedom of Wolfenbuttel. He was the only child of the Duke's second marriage. In 1635 the Duke contracted a third marriage with Sophie Elisabethe of Mecklenburg. Father and stepmother alike were pious and fond of music and poetry, and their children were trained with a simple home life, in Lutheran orthodox ; and, under J. G. Schottelius and Sigismund v. Birken, instructed in all the learning of the time. Under these influences, supplemented by a residence at the University of Helmstädt, 1650, Anton Ulrich grew up a lover of his mother tongue and of poetr… Go to person page >

Translator: 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 >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Once more from rest I rise again
German Title:	Nun tret ich wieder aus der Ruh
Author:	Anton Ulrich (1667)
Translator:	Catherine Winkworth (1855)
Meter:	8.8.6.8.8.6.8.8
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Notes

Nun tret ich wieder aus der Ruh. [Morning. For the Sick.] Appeared in 1667, p. 2, (ed. Wendebourg, 1856, p. 1.), in 8 stanzas of 8 lines.
The translations are, (1) "Once more from rest I rise again," by Miss Winkworth, 1855, p. 220 (1856, p. 222). (2) "From blest, unconscious sleep I wake again," by Miss Cox, 1864, p. 185.

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

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