Awaken From Your Idle Dreaming

Representative Text

1 Awaken from your idle dreaming
Ye lukewarm Christians now awake!
The Lord with light, from heaven beaming,
The conscience of the world doth shake.
Throw off that sinful sleep before
To you is closed he open door.

2 Awaken that the lurking danger
By heaven's light may disappear!
His gracious light shines from the manger,
And at the cross it quells your fear.
We must arise to spread its fame
And find our joy in Jesus' name.

3 Awaken now ere death is calling
You at an unexpected hour!
Soon old men in its grip are falling,
And also youth may feel its power.
Ye do not know the time, nor place,
Do therefore wake and seek God's grace.

4 Awake, be for God's summons ready
When He to judgment calleth you!
In faith and love be ever steady,
His gracious will with ardor do!
Oh, take the strait and narrow way,
For quickly cometh judgment day.

5 Awake, awake, 'tis Jesus crying,
Arise, throw off that sinful sleep!
It is too late when ye are dying
And sinking into darkness deep.
Ye here in Christ must now believe,
Awake, arise, and Him receive.



Source: Hymnal for Church and Home (2nd ed.) #182

Translator (Danish): Hans Adolf Brorson

(no biographical information available about Hans Adolf Brorson.) Go to person page >

Author: Ludwig Andreas Gotter

Gotter, Ludwig Andreas, son of Johann Christian Gotter, Court preacher and Superintendent at Gotha, was born at Gotha, May 26, 1661. He was at first privy secretary and then Hofrath at Gotha, where he died Sept. 19, 1735. He was a pious, spiritually-minded man, with tendencies towards Pietism; and one of the best hymnwriters of the period. Of his printed hymns the earliest appeared in the Geistliches Gesang-Buch, Halle, 1697. Of the 23 included in Freylinghausen's Geistleiches Gesang-Buch, 1704, and Neues, 1714, seven have been translated into English, besides his version of J. W. Petersen's "Salve, crux beata, salve (q. v.). J. C. Wetzel, who had become acquainted with him during a visit Gotter made to Römhild in 1733, mentions a complete… Go to person page >

Translator (English): P. C. Paulsen

Paul Christian Paulsen was born on March 26, 1881, in Alstrup, Jutland, Denmark. He emigrated to America in 1904, was ordained in 1911, and served as a Lutheran pastor in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, and Alberta, Canada. He died on July 26, 1948. NN, Hymnary Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Awaken from your idle dreaming
Title: Awaken From Your Idle Dreaming
Danish Title: O, vaagner op af Verdens Drømme
Translator (English): P. C. Paulsen
Translator (Danish): Hans Adolf Brorson
Author: Ludwig Andreas Gotter
Meter: 9.8.9.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

NEUMARK

Published in 1657 (see above) WER NUR DEN LIEBEN GOTT is also known as NEUMARK. Johann S. Bach (PHH 7) used the tune in its isorhythmic shape (all equal rhythms) in his cantatas 21, 27, 84, 88, 93, 166, 179, and 197. Many Lutheran composers have also written organ preludes on this tune. WER NUR DEN…

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Hymnal for Church and Home #182

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Hymnal for Church and Home (2nd ed.) #182

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