In my heart rings a melody

One of my sentimental favorite hymns from childhood, “How Great Thou Art,” has a fun story on the beauty of language translation and preservation. The original form of the classic song was actually a Swedish poem called “O Mighty God,” written in 1886 and translated in 1925 by a professor at North Park College in Chicago.

“In 1923, the Reverend Stuart K. Hine, London missionary to the Ukraine, heard the song for the first time in Russian,” writes Helen Salem Rizk in her 1964 book Stories of the Christian Hymns. “Unaware of the fact that the song had originated in Sweden, Hine attributed it to a Russian prisoner and credited him with writing it in 1921. He was so impressed with the song that he made an English translation in 1948 which he called, ‘How Great Thou Art.’ The interesting fact of the story of this great hymn is that although two translations were made through three different languages, over 30 years apart, the might and grandeur of the hymn is preserved.”

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Of one of my all-time favorite hymns, “Fairest Lord Jesus,” Rizk informs, “This famous hymn had its origins in Germany in the seventeenth century, and was discovered in America in 1850 by Richard Storrs Willis, a musician and newspaperman, who wrote books on church music and other musical subjects. The tune is an ancient Silesian folk song derived from legend and story, which is a ballad picturing common life with its interests and enthusiasm.”

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My sister Rita’s favorite hymn was “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” and we made sure it was sung at her funeral. Of the classic, Rizk writes, “This beautiful gospel hymn was written because of the courage and faith of a woman bedridden for more than 20 years. Mrs. C. Martin and her husband were visiting Elmira, NY. Both of the Doolittles were ‘incurable cripples,’ but in spite of their handicaps carried on their business in a courageous manner. Greatly impressed by the faith of the saintly couple, Dr. Martin commented upon the spirit and joy of his host and wife. Mrs. Doolittle’s reaction was simple and direct: ‘His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.’ Mrs. Martin, who wrote many hymns and poems immediately recognized the potentiality of the phrase, and before the day ended she had arranged and incorporated it into one of the most touching hymns of all time.”

On another favorite, “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed”:

“Written by Isaac Watts, one of the greatest hymn writers of all time, ‘Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed,’ appeared in a volume of poems published in 1705 entitled ‘Hymns and Spiritual Songs.’ A very unusual man, Watts served as minister of the English Congregational Church, preaching his first sermon at 24 years of age. History says that though he was a charming man, his stature was small and his physical appearance hard to believe. Only 5 feet in height, his face was sallow with a hooked nose, small beady eyes and deathlike pallor. One lady, a Miss Elisabeth Singer, who had fallen in love with his poetry and thought she had met her soulmate at last, refused his hand in marriage when she finally saw him, with the remark, ‘I admired the jewel but not the casket!’ ”

(new article tomorrow)