The moon hath risen on high

Representative Text

The moon hath risen on high,
And in the clear dark sky
The golden stars all brightly glow;
And black and hushed the woods,
While o'er the fields and floods
The white mists hover to and fro.

How still the earth! how calm!
What dear and home-like charm
From gentle twilight doth she borrow!
Like to some quiet room,
Where wrapt in still soft gloom,
We sleep away the daylight's sorrow.

Look up; the moon tonight
Shows us but half her light,
And yet we know her round and fair.
At other things how oft
We in our blindness scoffed,
Because we saw not what was there.

We haughty sons of men
Have but a narrow ken,
We are but sinners poor and weak,
Yet airy dreams we build,
And deem us wise and skilled,
And come not nearer what we seek.

Thy mercy let us see,
Nor find in vanity
Our joy; nor trust in what departs;
But true and simple grow,
And live to Thee below
With sunny pure and childlike hearts.

Let Death all gently come
At last to take us home,
And let us meet him fearlessly;
And when these bonds are riven,
O take us to Thy heaven,
Our Lord and God, to dwell with Thee.

Now in His name most blest
My brethren sink to rest;
The wind is cold, chill falls the dew.
Spare us, O God, and keep
Us safe in quiet sleep,
And all the sick and suffering too.

Source: Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year #93

Author: Matthias Claudius

Claudius, Matthias, son of Matthias Claudius, Lutheran pastor at Reinfeld in Holstein (near Lübeck), was born at Reinfeld, Aug. 15, 1740. An ancestor, who died as a Lutheran pastor in 1586, had Latinized his name, Claus Paulsen, to Claudius Pauli, and his descendants had adopted Claudius as their surname. Claudius entered the University of Jena, in 1759, as a student of theology, but being troubled with an affection of the chest, and finding little attraction in the Rationalism of Jena, he turned his attention to law and languages. After a short visit to Copenhagen, as private secretary to a Danish count, he joined in 1768 the staff of the Hamburg News Agency (Adress-Comptoirnachrichten). Removing to Wandsbeck, near Hamburg, he undertook i… Go to person page >

Translator: 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 >

Text Information

First Line: The moon hath risen on high
German Title: Der Mond ist aufgefangen
Author: Matthias Claudius (1782)
Translator: Catherine Winkworth (1855)
Meter: 6.6.8.6.6.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

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Instances

Instances (1 - 4 of 4)
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Lyra Germanica #229

Text

Lyra Germanica #93

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Lyra Germanica #S1-93

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Songs of the Soul #30

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