How Lovely Now The Morning Star

For Epiphany

Words: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Philipp Nicolai, 1597;
Translation attributed to Frances Elizabeth Cox, alt.

Compare:
How Lovely Now The Morning-star (Cox, Hymns from the German. Second Edition, pp. 3-9)
How Lovely Now The Morning Star, (Cox, Hymns from the German. Second Edition, pp. 229-235)

Music: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Philip Nicolai, 1599.
The melody is said to be from an older tune from Strasbourg, circa 1538.
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / XML
Meter: 887 887 48 48

Source: J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), #86, pp. 132-3.

1.How lovely now the Morning Star,
Sent forth by God from heaven afar,
    With Truth and Mercy shineth!
Hail! Jesse's Root and David's Rod,
Hail! David's Offspring, Son of God,
    To Thee my heart inclineth.
        Bounteous,
        Bounteous,
    Prince victorious, great and glorious,
        Freely giving,
    High enthroned o'er all things living.

2. Hail! Son of Mary, Pearl and Crown,
Great Bridegroom King of high renow,
    Of royal race descendeth!
Thy glory fills my soul, O Lord;
The doctrine of Thy Holy Word
    Is milk and honey blended:
        Glad praise
        I raise;
    Hail, Hosanna! Heavenly Manna,
        Food sustaining
    Faith that else would soon be waning.

3. Shed deep within this heart of mine,
Thou Holy Flame, Thou Light Divine,
    True love by Thine excited;
Thus let my love to Thee respond,
Now joined to Thee in mystic bond,
    A member close united:
        In troth,
        Heaven's Growth,
    Lily fairest, Purest, rarest,
        Nought shall sever
    Heart and eye from Thee for ever.

4. O God the Father, God of Might,
Ere yet the world came out of night,
    Thou in Thy Son didst love me;
Now safe beneath His shelter housed,
To Him in heavenly bonds espoused,
    His Love to love doth move me:
        Joys pure
        Endure
    High in heaven, Where 'tis given
        Tiring never,
    Still to chant His praise for ever.

5. Now joy is come, and sorrow past;
Alpha, Omega, First and Last,
    Of all the Source and Ending,
To Paradise my soul shall raise,
Where saints proclaim His ceaseless praise,
    To death sure comfort lending:
        Amen!
        Amen!
    My chief Treasure, Crown and Pleasure,
        Wait no longer,
    Evermore my love grows stronger.

Sheet Music from J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), #86, pp. 132-3.

Note from Rev. Hopkins:

"In Knapp's 'Evangelischer Liederschatz,' this Hymn has seven stanzas, with quite a number of various readings differing from the above [How Brightly Dawns The Morning Star]. We add another version, of five stanzas, by Miss Cox." 

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