Easter
Awake, My Heart, With Gladness
- Words:
- Paul Gerhardt, 1648. Translated by John Kelly, 1867, alt.
- Music:
- 'Auf, Auf, Mein Herz mit Freuden' Johann Crüger, 1648.
- Setting:
- "Mehrstimmiges ChoralBuch", 1906.
- Metre:
- 7 6 7 6 6 6 6 6
- 1Awake, my heart, with gladness,See what today is done;How after gloom and sadness,Comes forth the glorious Sun.My Savior there was laidWhere our bed must be madeWhen to the realms of lightOur spirit wings its flight.
- 2They in the grave did sink Him,The foe held jubilee;Before he can bethink him,Lo! Christ again is free.And "Victory" He cries,And waving tow'rds the skiesHis banner, while the fieldIs by the Hero held!
- 3Upon the grave is standingThe Hero looking round;The foe, no more withstanding,His weapons on the groundThrows down, his hellish pow'rTo Christ must he give o'er,And to the Victor's bandsMust yield his feet and hands.
- 4A sight it is to gladden;And fill the heart with glee,No more affright or saddenShall aught, or take from meMy trust or fortitude,Or any precious goodThe Savior bought for meIn sov'reign love and free.
- 5Hell and its prince, the devil,Of all their pow'rs are shorn;Now I am safe from evil,And sin I laugh to scorn.Grim Death with all his mightCannot my soul affright;He is a pow'rless form,Howe'er he rage and storm.
- 6The world against me rageth Its fury I disdain;Though bitter war it wageth Its work is all in vain.My heart from care is free, Misfortune now is play,No trouble troubles me, And night is bright as day.
- 7I cleave now and forever To Christ, a member true,My Head will leave me never, Whate'er He passeth through.He treads the world beneath His feet, and conquers deathAnd hell, and breaks sin's thrall; I'm with Him through it all.
- 8To halls of heavenly splendor With Him I penetrate;And trouble ne'er may hinder Nor make me hesitate.No enemy I fear, Because my Head is near;My Savior is my Shield, By Him all rage is stilled.
- 9He brings me to the portal That opens into bliss,Where graved in words immortal This golden scripture is:"Who's there despised with me, Here with me crown'd shall be;Who there with Me shall die, Here's raised with me on high!"
Scripture
Topics
In the hymnals
- Written in 1649, the words are in 30 hymnals indexed by Hymnary.org. Their history →
Words, music and setting are in the public domain. The score is from the Open Hymnal Project (Brian J. Dumont), which places its own work in the public domain. The piano is the FluidR3 General MIDI sound font (MIT licence). How many hymnals print a hymn, and when it was written, is from Hymnary.org.