1 Rise, O Salem, rise and shine;
Lo, the Gentiles hail thy waking:
Herald of a morn divine,
See the Dayspring o’er us breaking,
Telling God hath called to mind
Those who long in darkness pined.
2 O how blindly did we stray,
Ere this Sun our earth had brightened;
Heaven we sought not, for no ray
Had our wildered eyes enlightened:
All our looks were earthward bent,
All our strength on earth was spent.
3 But the Dayspring from on high
Hath arisen with beams unclouded,
And we see before Him fly
All the heavy gloom that shrouded
This sad earth, where sin and woe
Seemed to reign o’er all below.
4 Thine appearing, Lord, shall fill
All my thoughts in sorrow’s hour;
Thine appearing, Lord, shall still
All my dread of death’s dark power;
Whether joys or tears be mine,
Through them still Thy light shall shine.
5 Let me, when my course is run,
Calmly leave a world of sadness
For the place that needs no sun,--
For Thou art its light and gladness,--
For the mansions fair and bright,
Where Thy saints are crowned with light.
Amen.
Source: The Hymnal and Order of Service #68
Rist, Johann, son of Kaspar Rist, pastor at Ottensen, near Hamburg, was born at Ottensen, March 8, 1607, and from his birth was dedicated to the ministry. After passing through the Johanneum at Hamburg and the Gymnasium Illustre at Bremen, he matriculated, in his 21st year, at the University of Rinteln, and there, under Josua Stegmann (q. v.), he received an impulse to hymn-writing. On leaving Rinteln he acted as tutor to the sons of a Hamburg merchant, accompanying them to the University of Rostock, where he himself studied Hebrew, Mathematics and also Medicine.
During his residence at Rostock the terrors, of the Thirty Years War almost emptied the University, and Rist himself also lay there for weeks ill of the pestilence. After his 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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