A Fope F'Olorun

Words:Martin Rinkart, circa 1636 (Nun danket alle Gott); first appeared in Praxis Pietatis Melica, by Johann Crüger (Berlin, Germany: 1647); translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth, 1856.

A fope f'Olorun lokan ati lohun wa: Eni sohun 'yanu, n'nu Eni taraye n yo. Gba ta wa lomo'wo, Oun na lo n toju wa, O si febun ife se'toju wa sibe. Oba Onibuore, ma fi wa sile lailai, Ayo ti ko lopin oun 'bukun yoo je tiwa. Pa wa mo ninu ore, to wa 'gba ba damu, Yo wa ninu ibi laye ati lorun. Ka fiyin oun ope f'Olorun Baba, Omo Ati Emi Mimo ti O ga julo lorun Olorun kan lailai taye atorun n bo Bee l'O wa d'isinyi,  beeni y'O wa lailai.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices; Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today. O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us; And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed; And free us from all ills, in this world and the next! All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given; The Son and Him who reigns with Them in highest Heaven; The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore; For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Rinkart, a Lutheran minister, was in Eilenburg, Saxony, during the Thirty Years’ War. The walled city of Eilenburg saw a steady stream of refugees pour through its gates. The Swedish army surrounded the city, and famine and plague were rampant. Eight hundred homes were destroyed, and the people began to perish. There was a tremendous strain on the pastors who had to conduct dozens of funerals daily. Finally, the pastors, too, succumbed, and Rinkart was the only one left—doing 50 funerals a day. When the Swedes demanded a huge ransom, Rinkart left the safety of the walls to plead for mercy. The Swedish commander, impressed by his faith and courage, lowered his demands. Soon afterward, the Thirty Years’ War ended, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand celebration service. It is a testament to his faith that, after such misery, he was able to write a hymn of abiding trust and gratitude toward God.
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