Hast To The Plow Thou Put Thy Hand

Representative Text

Hast to the plow thou put thy hand
Let not thy spirit waver,
Heed not the world’s allurements grand,
Nor pause for Sodom’s favor.
But plow thy furrow, sow the seed,
Though tares and thorns thy work impede;
For they, who sow with weeping,
With joy shall soon be reaping.

But should at times thy courage fail—
For all may fail and falter—
Let not the tempting world prevail
On thee thy course to alter.
Each moment lost in faint retreat
May bring disaster and defeat.
If foes bid thee defiance,
On God be thy reliance.

If steadfast in the race we keep,
Our course is soon completed.
And death itself is but a sleep,
Its dreaded might defeated.
But those who conquer in the strife
Obtain the victor’s crown of life
And shall in constant gladness
Forget these days of sadness.



Source: Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark #93

Author: N. F. S. Grundtvig

Nicolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig was the son of a pastor, and was born at Udby, in Seeland, in 1783. He studied in the University of Copenhagen from 1800-1805; and, like some other eminent men, did not greatly distinguish himself; his mind was too active and his imagination too versatile to bear the restraint of the academic course. After leaving the university he took to teaching; first in Langeland, then (1808) in Copenhagen. Here he devoted his attention to poetry, literature, and Northern antiquities. In 1810 he became assistant to his father in a parish in Jutland. The sermon he preached at his ordination, on the subject "Why has the Lord's word disappeared from His house," attracted much attention, which is rarely the case with "pro… Go to person page >

Translator: J. C. Aaberg

Jens Christian Aaberg (b. Moberg, Denmark, 1877; d. Minneapolis, MN, 1970) immigrated to the United States in 1901. Educated at Grand View College and Seminary in Des Moines, Iowa, he entered the ministry of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served congregations in Marinette, Wisconsin; Dwight, Illinois; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aaberg wrote Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark (1945), translated at least eighty hymns from Danish into English, and served on four hymnal committees. In 1947 King Frederick of Denmark awarded him the Knight Cross of Denmark. --Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1987  Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Hast to the plow thou put thy hand
Title: Hast To The Plow Thou Put Thy Hand
Original Language: Danish
Author: N. F. S. Grundtvig
Translator: J. C. Aaberg
Meter: 8.7.8.7.8.8.7.7
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

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American Lutheran Hymnal #259

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Hymnal for Church and Home #227

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Hymnal for Church and Home (2nd ed.) #227

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Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark #93

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