When My Last Hour Is Close at Hand

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When my last hour is close at hand And I must hence betake me

Author: Catherine Winkworth; Author: Nikolaus Herman (1560)
Published in 30 hymnals

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Representative Text

1 When my last hour is close at hand,
And I must hence betake me,
Lord Jesus Christ, beside me stand,
Nor let Thy help forsake me;
To Thy blest hands I now commend
My soul, at this my earthly end,
And Thou wilt safely keep it.

2 My sins, dear Lord, disturb me sore,
My conscience cannot slumber;
But though as sands upon the shore,
My sins may be in number,
I will not quail, but think of Thee;
Thy death, Thy sorrow, borne for me,
Thy sufferings shall uphold me.

3 I have been grafted in the Vine,
And hence my comfort borrow,
For Thou wilt surely keep me Thine
Through fear, and pain, and sorrow;
Yea, though I die, I die to Thee,
Who through Thy death hast won for me
The right to life eternal.

4 Since Thou from death didst rise again,
In death Thou wilt not leave me;
Lord, Thy ascension soothes my pain,
No fear of death shall grieve me;
For Thou wilt have me where Thou art,
And so with joy I can depart
To be with Thee forever.

5 And so I stretch mine arms to Thee,
And gladly hence betake me;
Peaceful and calm my sleep shall be,
No human voice can wake me.
But Christ is with me through the strife,
And He will bear me into life,
And open heaven before me.

Source: Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-book #528

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Author: 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 >

Author: Nikolaus Herman

Herman, Nicolaus, is always associated with Joachimsthal in Bohemia, just over the mountains from Saxony. The town was not of importance till the mines began to be extensively worked about 1516. Whether Herman was a native of this place is not known, but he was apparently there in 1518, and was certainly in office there in 1524. For many years he held the post of Master in the Latin School, and Cantor or Organist and Choirmaster in the church. Towards the end of his life he suffered greatly from gout, and had to resign even his post as Cantor a number of years before his death. He died at Joachimsthal, May 3, 1561. (Koch, i. 390-398; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xii. 186-188, &c.) He was a great friend and helper of J. Mathesius (q.v.)… Go to person page >

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First Line:	When my last hour is close at hand And I must hence betake me
Title:	When My Last Hour Is Close at Hand
German Title:	Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist
Author:	Nikolaus Herman (1560)
Author:	Catherine Winkworth
Meter:	8.7.8.7.8.8.7
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

Psalm 31:5
(hymns)

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Tune

WENN MEIN STÜNDLEIN VORHANDEN IST

WENN MEIN STÜNDLEIN (15671)

ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HÖH

The tune name ALLEIN GOTT derives from the opening words of Decius's rhymed text in High German. The tune was first published in Schumann's Geistliche Lieder. Decius adapted the tune from a tenth-century Easter chant for the Gloria text, beginning at the part accompanying the words "et in terra pax.…

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