The Danish church has produced a large number of hymnwriters, who, except
for the greatness of Kingo, Brorson and Grundtvig, would have commanded
general recognition. The present hymnal of the church contains
contributions by about sixty Danish writers. Though the majority of these
are represented by only one or two hymns, others have made large
contributions.
Kingo, Brorson and Grundtvig, peculiarly enough, had few imitators. A
small number of writers did attempt to imitate the great leaders, but
they formed no school and their work for the most part was so
insignificant that it soon disappeared. Thus even Kingo's great work
inspired no hymnwriter of any consequence, and the fifty years between
Kingo and Brorson added almost nothing to the hymnody of the church.
Contemporary with Brorson, however, a few writers appeared whose songs
have survived to the present day. Foremost among these is Ambrosius Stub,
a unique and sympathetic writer whose work constitutes a distinct
contribution to Danish poetry.
Ambrosius Stub was born on the island of Fyn in 1705, the son of a
village tailor. Although extremely poor, he managed somehow to enter the
University of Copenhagen, but his poverty compelled him to leave the
school without completing his course. For a number of years, he drifted
aimlessly, earning a precarious living by teaching or bookkeeping at the
estates of various nobles, always dogged by poverty and a sense of
frustration. Although he was gifted and ambitious, his lack of a degree
and his continuous poverty prevented him from attaining the position in
life to which his ability apparently entitled him. During his later
years, he conducted a small school for boys at Ribe, a small city on the
west coast of Jutland, where he died in abject poverty in 1758, only 53
years old.
Stub's work remained almost unknown during his lifetime, but a small
collection of his poems, published after his death, gained him a
posthumous recognition as the greatest Danish poet of the 18th century.
Stub's style is extremely noble and expressive, devoid of the excessive
bombast and sentimentality that many writers then mistook for poetry. He
was of a cheerful disposition with a hopeful outlook upon life that only
occasionally is darkened by the hardships and disappointments of his own
existence. Even the poems of his darker moods are colored by his inborn
love of beauty and his belief in the fundamental goodness of life. Many
of his best poems are of a religious nature, and expressive of his warm
and trustful Christian faith. In view of the discouraging hardships and
disappointments of his own life, the following much favored hymn throws a
revealing light upon the spirit of its author.
Undismayed by any fortune
Life may have in store for me,
This, whatever be my portion,
I will always try to be.
If I but in grace abide,
Undismayed whate'er betide.
Undismayed when others harry
Mind and soul with anxious care;
If the Lord with me will tarry,
All my troubles disappear.
If I but in grace abide,
Undismayed whate'er betide.
Undismayed when others sighing,
Quail before the evil day,
On God's grace I am relying;
Nothing can me then dismay.
If I but in grace abide,
Undismayed whate'er betide.
Undismayed when others fearing,
See the hour of death draw nigh.
With the victor's crown appearing,
Why should I repine and sigh.
If I but in grace abide,
Undismayed whate'er betide.
Dearest Lord, if I may treasure
Thy abundant grace each day,
I shall cherish Thy good pleasure,
Be my portion what it may.
If I but in grace abide,
Undismayed whate'er betide.
The age of Rationalism discarded most of the old hymns but produced no
worthwhile hymns of its own. The most highly praised hymnwriter of the
period, Birgitte Boye, the wife of a forester, wrote a great number of
hymns of which no less than 150 were included in a new hymnal published
in 1870, by the renowned statesman, Ove Hoegh Guldberg. Although
excessively praised by the highest authorities of the period, Birgitte
Boye's hymns contain nothing of permanent value, and have now happily
been forgotten.
The Evangelical revival about the middle of the 19th century restored the
old hymns to their former favor, and produced besides, a number of new
hymnwriters of real merit. Among these, Casper J. Boye is, perhaps, the
most prominent. Born of Danish parents at Kongsberg, Norway, in 1791,
Boye entered the University of Copenhagen in 1820 where he first took up
the study of law and then, of theology. After graduating from this
department, he became a teacher at a Latin school and some years later, a
pastor of the large Garrison Church in Copenhagen, where he remained
until his death in 1851. Boye was a gifted writer, both on secular and
religious themes. His numerous hymns appeared in six small volumes
entitled: _Spiritual Songs_. They are marked by a flowing but at times
excessively literary style and a quiet spiritual fervor. The following
still is a favorite opening hymn.
Day is breaking, night is ended,
And the day of rest ascended
Upon church and countryside.
Like the day in brightness growing,
Grace from God is richer flowing;
Heaven's portals open wide.
O what joy this day is bringing,
When the chiming bells are ringing,
Calling man to prayer and praise!
All the angel host rejoices
And with gladsome, mellow voices
Thanks the Lord for light and grace.
Sin and death with fear and sorrow
And the burden of tomorrow
Shall not weigh my heart with care.
Unto all in tribulation
Doth the Lord of our salvation
On this day His peace declare.
Be it hushed in solemn stillness,
Must I weep in grief or illness,
Or confess my guilt and shame,
It is blessed to be weeping
When the hungry heart is reaping
Grace and peace in Jesus' name.
O Thou Fount of grace unbounded,
Who our wisdom hath confounded,
Whom but faith can comprehend!
In Thy love my soul reposes;
Heaven's portal never closes
Till before Thy throne we stand.
Herman Andreas Timm, a younger contemporary of Boye, also wrote a large
number of excellent hymns. He was born at Copenhagen in 1800, and was for
many years pastor of the church on Amager, a suburb of the capital city.
He died in 1866. His hymns appeared in a small volume of poems, published
in 1834, under the title: _Spiritual Songs_. They are characterized by an
easy literary style and an urgent spiritual appeal. The following very
popular hymn is perhaps the best-known of those now available in English.
Dost thou know the living fountain
Whence the stream of grace doth flow?
Dry the streams from snowcapped mountain,
Yet this stream shall fuller grow.
From the very heart of God
Flows its currents deep and broad,
Unto every land and nation,
Bringing mercy and salvation.
Come unto the living waters!
Cried the prophets, do not shrink!
God invites His sons and daughters:
He that thirsteth come and drink.
With this water God imparts
Health and strength to sin-sick hearts.
Why are ye then hesitating
While the Lord with grace is waiting.
With us is the day appointed,
God has kept His gracious word.
He has come, the Lord's annointed;
Men have seen the promised Lord.
Saints of God from every race
Found in Him the fount of grace,
And, with joy that never ceases,
Said: The Fount of Life is Jesus.
Hasten then! Let all assemble
At this fountain pure and strong.
Come, ye souls that fear and tremble,
Come, ye old, and come ye young.
Now the hour of grace is here,
Draw then to its fountain near.
Soon, ah soon! the day is over.
Quickly night the world may cover.
Another contemporary of these writers, and perhaps the most prominent of
the group, was Theodore Vilhelm Oldenburg. Oldenburg was born at
Copenhagen in 1805, son of the Royal Chamberlain, Frederik Oldenburg. His
mother died while he was still a boy, but his excellent father managed to
give him a most careful training and a splendid education. He graduated
"cum laude" from the University of Copenhagen in 1822, obtained the
degree of Master of Arts during the following year, entered the
department of theology and graduated from there three years later, also
"cum laude." In 1830 he accepted a call to become pastor of the parish of
Otterup and Sorterup on the island of Fyn. Here he won high praise for
his conspicuously able and faithful work. Together with the gifted Bishop
P. C. Kirkegaard, he was editor for a number of years of the influential
periodical "Nordisk Tidsskrift for Kristelig Teologi," and also of the
outstanding foreign mission paper, "Dansk Missionsblad." Through these
papers he exerted a powerful and always beneficent influence upon the
churches of both Denmark and Norway. His outstanding and richly blest
service was cut short by death in 1842 when he was only 37 years old. He
was carried to the grave to the strains of his own appealing hymn:
"Thine, O Jesus, Thine Forever."
Oldenburg's quite numerous hymns were printed from time to time in
various periodicals. They express in a noble and highly lyrical style the
firm faith and warm religious fervor of his own consecrated life.
The hymn given below was written for a foreign mission convention shortly
before his death.
Deep and precious,
Strong and gracious
Is the word of God above,
Gently calling
Sinners falling,
To the Savior's arm of love.
Unto all the word is given:
Jesus is the way to heaven.
Blessed Savior,
Wondrous favor
Hast Thou shown our fallen race!
Times may alter,
Worlds may falter,
Nothing moves Thy word of grace.
With Thy word Thy grace abideth,
And for all our needs provideth.
By Thy merit,
Through the Spirit
Draw all sinners, Lord, to Thee.
Sin and error,
Death and terror
By Thy word shall vanquished be.
Guide us all through life's straight portal,
Bear us into life immortal.
Besides Grundtvig the foremost hymnwriter of this period was his close
friend, Bernhard Severin Ingemann, one of Denmark's most popular and
beloved writers. He was born in 1789 in a parsonage on the island of
Falster. His father died in 1800 when the son was only 11 years old, and
his mother left the parsonage to settle in Slagelse, an old city on the
island of Sjaelland. Having graduated from the Latin school there in 1806,
Ingemann entered the University of Copenhagen in the fall of the same
year. During the English attack on Copenhagen in 1807, he enrolled in the
student's volunteer corps and fought honorably in defense of the city.
After graduating from the University, he was granted free board and room
at Walkendorf's Collegium, an institution for the aid of indigent but
promising young students. Here he devoted most of his time to literary
pursuits and, during the following three years, he published a large
number of works which won him a favorable name as a gifted lyrical poet
of a highly idealistic type. As an encouragement to further efforts, the
government granted him a two year stipend for travel and study in foreign
parts. He visited Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy, and became
acquainted with many famous literary leaders of that day, especially in
Germany. On his return from abroad in 1822 he was appointed a lector at
the famous school at Soroe on the island of Sjaelland. In this charming old
city with its splendid cathedral and idyllic surroundings he spent the
remainder of his life in the peace and quiet that agreed so well with his
own mild and seraphic nature. He died in 1862.
Inspired by Oehlenschlaeger and strongly encouraged by Grundtvig,
Ingemann in 1824 began the issuance of his famous historical novels,
based upon episodes from the romantic period of Danish history during the
13th and 14th centuries. To some extent the novels are modeled upon the
similar works of Walter Scott but are written in a livelier style and
more idealistic spirit than their English prototype. In later years their
historical veracity has been gravely questioned. Enjoying an immense
popularity both in Denmark and in Norway, these highly idealized pictures
of the past did much to arouse that national spirit which especially
Grundtvig had labored long to awaken. After completing his historical
novels, Ingemann again resumed his lyrical and fictional writings,
producing a large number of poems, fairy-tales and novels that further
increased his already immense popularity.