IN OTHER WORDS

To borrow a saying, it takes an
international "village" to produce
a body of worship hymns.

You probably know this classic hymn by Joachim Neander that German Christians began singing after its composition in 1680:

“Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren.”

Don’t speak German? Maybe these English words will resonate and also help you recall the tune:

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.”

It's one of my favorite hymns, and now even more meaningful after learning about its journey to my native tongue, English. I thank a never-married Englishwoman, Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), whose name as “translator” is quietly inserted in the credits of some four hundred hymns, many still included in hymnals.

Born in London to the home of a silk merchant, she was taught at home by her mother. At twenty-one, she traveled to Dresden, Germany, staying with relatives. There, she learned German and became interested in the rich heritage of German hymns, including those by John Wesley and leaders in the Moravian movement.

 As her translations came back to England, they were heralded for being “terse and delicate” in the complex task of bridging two very different languages. Her name would eventually share the credit lines of some 400 hymns. Besides Neander's (above), the better-known hymns would include:

Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates

Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying

If Thou Would Suffer God to Guide Me

Jesus Precious Treasure

She also translated biographies of founders of “sisterhoods” helping the poor and sick. In England, she advocated for women's rights and higher education. Later a resident of Bristol, she used her own funds to buy and upgrade apartment buildings to provide decent, affordable housing for its poor.

 Her lifespan was short—she died in her 50th year in 1878. She never married. But her legacy lives on through the stout, robust German hymns that she “gifted” to the English-speaking world through her bilingual and poetic skills.

 Miss Winkworth’s largely unsung role is a reminder that God uses all sorts of skills to advance the Gospel, and that includes sharing the story of salvation through song. It comes to us through gifted composers, poets, translators, and supporting musicians. “We are God’s fellow workers,” Paul said of Apollos, whom he said “watered the seed” he had planted (1 Corinthians 1:9). Certainly, the gifts of hymn-translation—as Miss Winkworth so diligently practiced--also belong in the category of “fellow workers.”