1 Now all the woods are sleeping,
And night and stillness creeping
O’er city, man, and beast;
But thou, my heart, awake thee,
To pray'r awhile betake thee,
And praise thy Maker ere thou rest.
2 O sun! where art thou vanished?
The night thy light hath banished--
The ancient foe, the night;
God then for now appeareth
Another Sun, and cheereth
My heart--'tis Jesus Christ, my Light!
3 The last faint beam is going,
The golden stars are glowing
In yonder dark-blue deep;
Such is the glory given,
When called of God to heaven,
On earth no more we pine and weep.
4 To rest the body hasteth,
Itself of clothes divesteth,
Type of mortality!
I'll put it off, and o'er me
Christ throw the robe of glory,
And blissful immortality!
5 Head, hands, and feet so tired
Are glad the day's expired,
That work comes to an end;
My heart, be filled with gladness
That God from all earth's sadness,
And from sin's toil relief will send.
6 Ye aching limbs! now rest you,
For toil hath sore oppressed you,
Lie down, my weary head;
A sleep shall once o'ertake you
From which earth ne'er shall wake you,
Within a cold and narrow bed.
7 Mine eyes scarce ope are keeping,
A moment, I'll be sleeping,
Soul, body,--fare ye well!
In grace Thy care then make them
May evil ne'er o'ertake them,
Thou Eye and Ward of Israel.
8 O Jesus, be my Cover!
And both Thy wings spread over
Thy child, and shield Thou me!
Though Satan would devour me,
Let angels ever o'er me
Sing, "This child shall uninjured be!"
9 My loved ones, rest securely,--
From every evil surely
Our God will guard your heads;
And happy slumbers send you,
And bid His hosts attend you,
And golden-armed watch o'er your beds.
Source: Evangelical Lutheran hymnal: with music #310
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 >
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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