This book deals with a subject which is new to most English readers. For
though Danish hymnody long ago became favorably known in Northern Europe,
no adequate presentation of the subject has appeared in English. Newer
American Lutheran hymnals contain a number of Danish hymns, some of which
have gained considerable popularity, but the subject as a whole has not
been presented.
A hymn is a child both of its author and of the time in which he lived. A
proper knowledge of the writer and the age that gave it birth will
enhance our understanding both of the hymn and of the spiritual movement
it represents. No other branches of literature furnish a more
illuminating index to the inner life of Christendom than the great lyrics
of the Church. Henry Ward Beecher said truly: "He who knows the way that
hymns flowed, knows where the blood of true piety ran, and can trace its
veins and arteries to its very heart."
Aside from whatever value they may have in themselves, the hymns
presented on the following pages therefore should convey an impression of
the main currents within the Danish church, and the men that helped to
create them.
The names of Kingo, Brorson and Grundtvig are known to many, but so far
no biographies of these men except of the sketchiest kind have appeared
in English. It is hoped that the fairly comprehensive presentation of
their life and work in the following pages may fill a timely need.
In selecting the hymns care has been taken to choose those that are most
characteristic of their authors, their times and the movements out of
which they were born. While the translator has sought to produce
faithfully the metre, poetry and sentiment of the originals, he has
attempted no slavishly literal reproduction. Many of the finest Danish
hymns are frankly lyrical, a fact which greatly increases the difficulty
of translation. But while the writer is conscious that his translations
at times fail to reproduce the full beauty of the originals, he still
hopes that they may convey a fair impression of these and constitute a
not unworthy contribution to American hymnody.
An examination of any standard American church hymnal will prove that
American church song has been greatly enriched by transplantations of
hymns from many lands and languages. If the following contribution from a
heretofore meagerly represented branch of hymnody adds even a little to
that enrichment, the writer will feel amply rewarded for the many hours
of concentrated labor he has spent upon it.
Most of the translations are by the writer himself. When translations by
others have been used, credit has been given to them except where only
parts of a hymn have been presented.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 21st, 1944.