Kingo and 'Lad Tidens Hiul omdrive' - the whole story

As so often happens, what Kingo originally wrote is drastically shortened in the Danish Hymn Book. In the original version of 1689, Kingo has written a hymn of nine verses called ’En anden Nyt Aars Sang’, which follows the frequent pattern of an introductory verse marking the change from the old year to the new, followed by a verse praising the role of the Church and its Sacraments, and a verse calling on God’s blessing to the Danish royal house and its role in maintaining the state of the nation and preventing the ravages of war, disease and hunger.

Then come the three provisos; before verse 5 (Should war have taken place, this verse can be sung, otherwise omitted), before verse 6 (Likewise is this verse also to be sung, if disease has been on the rampage) and before verse 7 (If there has been a dearth of food, this verse can be sung). Verse eight extols once more the role of the church in helping us to improve our lives.

And finally comes verse 9, the only verse which appears in the Danish Hymn Book. Underneath, after the original date, there is the laconic remark ’Bearbejdet 1857’ (revised in 1857), but the only alteration, apart from a modernisation of the spelling, is in line 2, where a passive verb is changed into an active one, without this having any drastic effect on the meaning.

This then, is the original verse 9:

Lad Tidens Hiul omdrive,

Lad vexles Dag og Nat,

Men lad, O Gud, os blive

Fast paa dit Hierte sat!

I Jesu Christi Navn,

Lad Aaret til os bære

Alt hvad dit Navn kand ære,

Og tiene til vort Gavn.

Let time’s wheel keep on turning,

Let day and night change place,

But let, O God, our yearning

On Thy heart fixed find grace!

And in Christ’s holy name,

May this year, we implore Thee, 

Bring what can sing Thy glory,

And help us do the same.