Du verklärte Gnadensonne,
Führ uns durch das Tränenfeld
In das Land der ew’gen Wonne,
Wo die Lust, die uns erhöht,
Nie vergeht!
One of the best and most spirited of morning hymns, “as if born from the dew of the sunrise.”
The author, Christian Knorr, Baron von Rosenroth, was the son of a Silesian pastor. After years of study and travel, he also settled down to a pastorate in Silesia. He was well versed in philosophy and chemistry, as well as theology, and his memory was so remarkable that he knew nearly the whole Bible by heart. He took special interest in the study of the Jewish Kabbala, the so-called secret wisdom of the rabbis, and his writings on this literature made him world famous. Knorr wrote seventy hymns, the present being the only one now in general use among English speaking people.
The translator, Richard Massie, was the son of the Rev. R. Massie, a minister in the Anglican church. A man of wealth and leisure, he was able to devote himself to literature and gardening. His rock garden, a rare thing in those days, attracted wide attention. Massie and his mother and sisters are remembered for their quiet spirituality and saintliness.
MUSIC. MORGENGLANZ DER EWIGKEIT is an adaptation of an air by Johann Rudolph Ahle. The tune appeared in Freylinghausen’s Gesangbuch, Halle, 1704, set to this hymn. Its beauty of melody and rhythm is extraordinary. For comments on the composer see [Hymn 553].