¡Oh Rostro Ensangrentado!

Representative Text

1 ¡Oh rostro ensangrentado,
imagen del dolor,
que sufres resignado
la burla y el furor!
Soportas la tortura,
la saña, la maldad;
en tan cruel amargura,
¡Que grandes es tu bondad!

2 Cubrió tu noble frente
La palidez mortal,
cual velo transparente
de tu sufrir, señal.
Cerróse aquella boca,
la lengua enmudeció;
la fría muerte toca
al que la vida dio.

3 Señor, tú has soportado
lo que yo merecí;
la culpa que has cargado,
cargarla yo debí.
Mas mírame, confío
en tu cruz y pasión.
Otórgame, Dios mío,
la gracia del perdón.


Source: El Himnario Presbiteriano #141

Translator (Spanish): Anonymous

In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries. Go to person page >

Author: Paul Gerhardt

Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which con­demned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >

Translator (English): James W. Alexander

James W. Alexander (b. Hopewell, Louisa County, VA, 1804; d. Sweetsprings, VA, 1859) was often overshadowed by his father, the renowned Archibald Alexander, first professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. But James Alexander was also a fine preacher, teacher, and writer. He studied at New Jersey College (now Princeton University) and Princeton Seminary. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church, he alternated his career between teaching and pastoring; for two years (1849-1851) he was professor of ecclesiastical history and church government at Princeton Seminary. Alexander translated a number of hymns from Greek, Latin, and German but is mainly known today for his translation of "O Sacred Head." Bert Polman… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: ¡Oh rostro ensangrentado, Imagen del dolor
Title: ¡Oh Rostro Ensangrentado!
English Title: O sacred head now wounded
Author: Paul Gerhardt (1656)
Translator (English): James W. Alexander (1830)
Translator (Spanish): Anonymous
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Source: Based on a Medieval Latin poem
Language: Spanish
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

PASSION CHORALE (Hassler)

The tune HERZLICH TUT MICH VERLANGEN has been associated with Gerhardt's text ["O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden"] since they were first published together in 1656. The tune's first association with a sacred text was its attachment in 1913 [sic: should read 1613] to Christoph Knoll's funeral text "Herzl…

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Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #13815
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)

Instances

Instances (1 - 3 of 3)
Page Scan

El Himnario #141

TextPage Scan

El Himnario Presbiteriano #141

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #13815

Include 4 pre-1979 instances
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