Augustana Hymnal, 1925

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

I'm helping someone who is writing about the popular hymn called Kom Hem. It used to be in the old brown Augustana Hymnal, published in 1925 and in use until 1958. Would appreciate anything about the origin of the melody and the author of the text as well as an English translation. It is not found in the Swensk Psalmbok (Helsingfors 1900) nor in den Swenska Psalmbok af 1819 (published 1885 in Rock Island, IL). The words are:

Kom hem, kom hem!
Ljuder Frälsarens röst,
Och ditt kvalfyllda bröst
skall hos honom få tröst.
Förlorade son,
Kom hem, o kom hem!
Kom hem! Kom, o, kom hem!

June

[Paivi T Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Paivi T]

I'm unfamiliar with this psalm, but a Google search with the opening words produced this hit:

http://runeberg.org/psalmist/0123.html

Might it be the one you're looking for?

The whole book seems to be digitised and online.

Päivi T

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

Augustana Hymnal

Päivi, yes, that is it. Thank you for that URL.

June

[Paivi T Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Paivi T]

Glad to hear it was the right hymn! The lyrics came close but didn't quite match, so I wasn't quite sure.

You were asking about a possible English translation. After a bit more Google work, I reckon the true original version of the hymn is in English. A Google search for "w h doane" comes up with lots of links, including this:

http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bdoane.html

What a prolific composer WH Doane was! A search for "w h doane come here" (without the quotation marks) actually came up with a list of hymns featuring that one among others, but I managed to lose that link.

So, it seems pretty possible that a bit more net searching, or search in a good music library, should come up with the original.

Päivi T

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

Augustana Hymnal

Päivi, I found another Kom Hem - so it seems that title was used more than once. I've sent this all on and hope Vincent can decide which tune fits. He said it was sung often by emigrants when they first arrived in the US.

Thanks.

June

[Hasse Admin Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Hasse]

Come home...

Maybe this:

Copied from Project Gutenberg:

"The Story of the Hymns and Tunes, by Theron Brown and Hezekiah Butterworth"

Se project Gutenberg here

THE PRODIGAL CHILD.

This is not only an impressive hymn as sung in sympathetic music, but a
touching poem.

Come home! come home!
You are weary at heart,
For the way has been dark
And so lonely and wild--
O prodigal child,
Come home!

Come home! Come home!
For we watch and we wait,
And we stand at the gate
While the shadows are piled;
O prodigal child,
Come home!

The author is Mrs. Ellen M.H. Gates, known to the English speaking world
by her famous poem, "Your Mission."


_THE TUNE_

To "The Prodigal Child" was composed by Dr. Doane in 1869 and no hymn
ever had a fitter singing ally. All a mother's yearning is in the
refrain and cadence.

Come home! Oh, come home!

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

Augustana Hymnal

Thanks, Hasse. I think Vincent will have plenty of songs to listen to and decide which one is the "right" one.

June

[lasare2 Registered Find all posts View Profile Close lasare2]

'WHOLESOME WORDS"

Hello Paivi,

Thank you so much for the "Wholesome Words" website
which offers such a wealth of good biographical reading
material featuring stalwart Christian leaders of the past
who nade their mark and still carry on through the printed
word found on the website you provided which I intend
passing on to those on my address list

thanks again

Lasare2

[Lois Willand Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Lois Willand]

Augustana hymnal

Gratia Grindal of Luther-Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota is a specialist in Scandinavian hymns and may have some ideas on the hymn you're interested in. Lois Willand

http://www.luthersem.edu/ggrindal/