Why Should Sorrow Ever Grieve Me?

Top Media Text Author Translator Text Info Tune Timeline Arrangements Page Scans Instances

Why should sorrow ever grieve me?

Author: Paul Gerhardt (1653); Translator: John Kelly (1867)
Tune: WARUM SOLLT ICH
Published in 22 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Piano/Organ
	I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Choral
	All My Heart Rejoices

PowerPoint
	WHY SHOULD CROSS AND TRIAL GRIEVE ME? (T…

Representative Text

1 Why should cross and trial grieve me?
Christ is near
with his cheer;
never will he leave me.
Who can rob me of the heaven
that God's Son
for my own
to my faith hath given?

2 God oft gives me days of gladness;
shall I grieve
if he give
seasons, too, of sadness?
God is good and tempers ever
all my ill,
and he will
wholly leave me never.

3 Death cannot destroy forever;
from our fears,
cares, and tears
it will us deliver.
It will close life's mournful story;
make a way
that we may
enter heav'nly glory.

4 Lord, my Shepherd, take me to thee.
Thou art mine;
I was thine,
even ere I knew thee.
I am thine, for thou hast bought me;
lost I stood,
but thy blood
free salvation brought me.

5 Thou art mine; I love and own thee.
Light of joy,
ne'er shall I
from my heart dethrone thee.
Savior, let me soon behold thee
face to face;
may thy grace
evermore enfold me.

Source: Trinity Psalter Hymnal #509

All representative texts • Compare texts ^ top

Author: Paul Gerhardt

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 >

Translator: John Kelly

Kelly, John, was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne, educated at Glasgow University, studied theology at Bonn, New College, Edinburgh, and the Theological College of the English Presbyterian Church (to which body he belongs) in London. He has ministered to congregations at Hebburn-on-Tyne and Streatham, and was Tract Editor of the Religious Tract Society. His translations of Paul Gerhardt's Spiritual Songs were published in 1867. Every piece is given in full, and rendered in the metre of the originals. His Hymns of the Present Century from the German were published in 1886 by the Religious Tract Society. In these translations the metres of the originals have not always been followed, whilst some of the hymns have been abridged and others condens… Go to person page >

^ top

First Line:	Why should sorrow ever grieve me?
Title:	Why Should Sorrow Ever Grieve Me?
German Title:	Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen?
Author:	Paul Gerhardt (1653)
Translator:	John Kelly (1867)
Meter:	8.3.3.6.7.3.3.6
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain