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BIRUTĖ TRIŠKAITĖ
Institute of the Lithuanian Language
ORCID id: orcid.org/0000-0003-2286-4080
Research fields: the written culture of Prussian Lithuania in the sixteenth–eighteenth centuries, the history of bilingual Lithuanian lexicography and the written Lithuanian language.
DOI: doi.org/10.35321/all85-05
THE HYMNS TRANSLATED BY PETRO GOTLYBAS MILKUS IN THE OFFICIAL EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN HYMNAL OF PRUSSIAN LITHUANIA: A QUANTITATIVE ASPECT
The Hymns Translated by Peter Gottlieb Mielcke in the Official Hymn Book for Prussian Lithuania’s Evangelical Lutherans: Quantitative Aspect
ABSTRACT
The article quantitatively analyses the contribution of Petro Gotlybas Milkus (Peter Gottlieb Mielcke, 1695–1753) to the repertoire of hymns in Jono Berento’s (Johann Behrendt, 1667–1737) hymnal Iß naujo perweißdėtos ir pagérintos Giesmû=Knygos (Karaliaučius, 1732, ²1735 and later editions); it also discusses the reception of hymns translated by Milkus in later editions and versions of the official Evangelical Lutheran hymnal of Prussian Lithuania. An analysis of the repertoire of hymnals from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries revealed that Milkus’s hymns contributed most substantially to the first edition of Berent’s collection, while in some later editions one hymn translated by Milkus was attributed to Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis (Adam Friedrich Schimmelfennig, 1699–1763).
KEYWORDS: Lithuanian writing of the eighteenth century, Petras Gotlybas Milkus (Peter Gottlieb Mielcke), official Evangelical Lutheran
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The hymns translated by Petro Gotlybas Milkus in the official Evangelical Lutheran hymnal of Prussian Lithuania: a quantitative aspect hymnal, Jono Berento’s hymnal Iß naujo pérweizdėtos ir pagerintos Giesmũ=Knygos (1732).
A N N O T A T I O N
The article analyses the contribution made by Peter Gottlieb Mielcke (1695–1753) to the repertoire of hymns in Johann Behrendt’s (1667–1737) hymn book Iß naujo pérweizdėtos ir pagerintos Giefmũ=Knygos (Königsberg, 1732, 1735, etc.) from the quantitative point of view. It also discusses the inclusion of the hymns translated by Mielcke in the later editions and versions of the Official Hymn Book for Prussian Lithuania’s Evangelical Lutherans. The analysis of the repertoires of hymns comprising the hymn books of the 18th–20th century shows that Mielcke made the most significant input into the first edition of Behrendt’s hymn book. Besides, there was a hymn translated by Mielcke and erroneously attributed to Adam Friedrich Schimmelpfennig (1699–1763) in certain subsequent editions of the hymn book.
KEYWORDS: Lithuanian writings of the 18th century, Peter Gottlieb Mielcke, Official Hymn Book for Prussian Lithuania’s Evangelical Lutherans, Johann Behrendt’s hymn book Iß naujo pérweizdėtos ir pagerintos Giefmũ=Knygos (1732).
A graduate of the University of Karaliaučius and the first known docent of the Lithuanian Language Seminar there, the Jurbarkas (German Georgenburg) and Mielkiemis Evangelical Lutheran pastor Petras Gotlybas Milkus (Peter Gottlieb Mielcke, 1695–1753), father of the renowned Pilkalnis cantor Kristijonas Gotlybas Milkus (Christian Gottlieb Mielcke, 1733–1807), was one of the most active nurturers of Lithuanian writing in the first half of the eighteenth century. His merits are chiefly associated with the collective publishing project for Lithuanian religious books directed by the chief court preacher and professor of theology Jono Jokūbo Kvantas (Johann Jacob Quandt, 1686–1772): Milkus is known as one of the translators and the proofreader of the entire translation of the first printed Lithuanian Bible (1735), one of the compilers of the new official hymnal (1732) and a translator of hymns, the proofreader of the New Testament (1727); he also translated at least five edicts of the Prussian authorities, and it was recently established that a considerable number of additions in the manuscript dictionary Clavis Germanico-Lithuana (the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) are attributable to his pen (Triškaitė 2013: 39–86). This article focuses on one of the areas of Milkus’s Lithuanistic activity—the translation of hymns.
In the historiography of Lithuanian writing, the number of hymns translated and published by Milkus varies. For example, Gotfrydas Ostermejeris (Gottfried Ostermeyer, 1716–1800), in his work Erfte Littauifche Liedergefchichte, and later Mykolas Biržiška
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in the book Iš mūsų kultūros ir literatūros istorijos mentioned 18 (Ostermeyer 1793: 253; Ostermejeris 1996: 418; Biržiška 1931: 243); Ansas Bruožis, in the study Mažosios Lietuvos buvusieji rašytojai ir žymesnieji lietuvių kalbos mylėtojai, approximately 18 ([Bruožis] 1920: 43); Vaclovas Biržiška, in Aleksandryne (1963), 17 or 16 (BržA II 52–53); while the Lietuvių enciklopedijoje published in Boston (1959), as well as the Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedijoje (2006) and Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedijos žinyne (2015), only 16 are indicated (LE XVIII 473; MLE III 117; MLEŽ 472). Moreover, following Ostermejeris, the opinion is generally held without qualification that the person who supplied the most hymns for the hymnal compiled by Jono Berentas (Johann Behrendt, 1667–1737) was Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis (Adam Friedrich Schimmelpfennig, 1699–1763) (cf. “Schimmelpfennig hat zu dem Behrendtſchen Gefangbuch das meiſte geliefert”, Ostermeyer 1793: 130; Ostermejeris 1996: 364).
The aim of this article is to assess the quantitative contribution of Petro Gotlybas Milkus to the repertoire of Jono Berentas’s hymnal by revealing its relationship to the contributions of other translators, and also to establish the reception of the hymns translated by Milkus in later editions and versions of the official Evangelical Lutheran hymnal of Prussian Lithuania. The analysis employs historical comparative and analytical descriptive methods.
1. THE HYMNS OF PETRO GOTLYBAS MILKUS IN THE 1732 EDITION OF THE HYMNAL
The hymns translated by the Jurbarkas pastor Petro Gotlybas Milkus were first printed in the first edition of the new official Evangelical Lutheran hymnal of Prussian Lithuania prepared by the chief pastor of Įsrutis (German Insterburg), Jono Berentas: Iß naujo perweiždėtos ir pagerintos Giefmų=Knygos. It appeared in 1732 in Karaliaučius, at the printing house of Johanno Friedricho Reussnerio (?–1742) (hereafter G1732). The new hymnal began to be prepared as part of Jono Jokūbo Kvantas’s programme for publishing Lithuanian religious books.
According to Ostermejeris, while Berentas was preparing the new hymnal, Milkus was a zealous assistant: “Peter Gottlieb Mielcke [...] [w]ar [...] beym damaligen Gefangbuch [...] Behrendts vornehmster Gehülfe” (Ostermeyer 1793: 253; Ostermejeris 1996: 418). Conditions were favourable for the cooperation of these two pastors not only on the hymnal but also on the Lithuanian Bible, since from the spring of 1726 until the end of 1735 Milkus served in Jurbarkas, located near the centre of the ecclesiastical district, Įsrutis, where Berentas was pastor.
Milkus himself mentioned his contribution to the new hymnal in a petition dated 23 April 1731 and addressed to the Prussian government in Karaliaučius. He stated that he had corrected and rewritten the hymnal and translated many new hymns: “habe ich das Littauſche Gefang=Buch verbefſert, abgeſchrieben, und viele neue Lieder überſetzet”
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(Mielcke 1731–04–23: 21r; for a facsimile, transcription and translation, see Triškaitė, Sidabraitė 2019: 98–99, 105). He did not state the number of hymns he had translated and submitted, but this is revealed by the only known copy of the first edition that has survived to the present, held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz; SBB PK: En 9820) (LBP 18, Nr. 135), since the translators are indicated beside the hymns by cryptonyms.
To assess Milkus’s quantitative contribution to the new hymnal, it should be taken into account that Berentas relied on the hymnal Naujos pagėrintos Giefmjų=Knygos (1705; hereafter G1705) prepared by the Būdviečiai pastor Frydrichas Zigmuntas Šusteris (Friedrich Sigmund Schuster, 1671–1750), which appeared at the beginning of the eighteenth century—the third edition of Danielius Kleinas’s (1609–1666) hymnal Naujos Giefmjų Knygos (1666), from which three quarters of the hymns were taken (LB I 45; Michelini 2009: 97). Thus Milkus’s contribution should be assessed on two levels; more precisely, it is important to determine his contribution to the new repertoire of the hymnal and to the repertoire as a whole, comprising both new and old hymns.
In the 1732 edition and thereafter, hymns translated by Milkus were marked with the cryptonym “P. G. M. P. G.”, that is, P[eter] G[ottlieb] M[ielcke,] P[astor] G[eorgenburgensis] (Petras Gotlybas Milkus, pastor of Jurbarkas). The titles of the hymns by Milkus printed in the first edition of the new hymnal are presented in Table 1 (listed alphabetically by the first word of the hymn). Of these, 6 were published in the main part of the hymnal and 13 in the appendix, “Appendix arba Kittos naujos Giefmes ßwėžey pridėtos”¹ (see Table 3).
TABLE 1. Hymns translated by Petro Gotlybas Milkus published in G1732 and their German originals
Titles of Milkus’s Lithuanian translations published in G1732 (number of stanzas)
Titles of the German originals given in G1732 (number of stanzas)
Authors of the German originals
If God were not with us at this time (3 stanzas) ← Wăr GOtt nicht mit uns diefe Ȝeit (3 stanzas) Martin Luther (1483–1546)
Jesus Christ, whom you have received (3 stanzas) ← Der Du HErr IEsu Ruh und Raft (3 stanzas) Georg Werner (1589–1643)
¹ Most likely, the aim of publishing as many new hymns as possible determined the structure of Berent’s hymnal of 1732: it was issued not as an integral work but composed of a main part (G1732 1–358, Nos. 1–301) and an appendix (G1732 359–408, Nos. 302–335). Apparently, once the main part of the hymnal had been sent to the press, the other new hymns were still being prepared for printing, and were therefore printed later in the appendix.
WIſgálys amžinaſsis Tėwe, ſuffimilk ant muſų (3 stanzas)
←
O allmächtiger ewiger Vater/ erbarm dich unser (3 stanzas)
Johann Horn (~1490–1547)
As can be seen, the authors of the German hymns translated by Milkus were the most prominent writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He translated four hymns by Martin Luther (1483–1546) and three
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hymns by Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676), two hymns each by Michael Schirmer (1606–1673) and Valentin Thilo (1607–1662), and one hymn each by Johannes Horn (~1490–1547)², Nicolaus Herman (~1500–1561), Georg Werner (1589–1643), Heinrich Bussenijus (~1626–1665), Justus Gesenius (1601–1673), Johannes Rist (1607–1667), and Ernst Christoph Homburg (1607–1681), as well as one anonymous hymn³ (see Table 1). It has been established that Milkus translated 15 German hymns into Lithuanian for the first time, while 4 of his translations are new versions of earlier translations (Michelini 2010: 133–161, also 225–226).
The other cryptonyms given in the 1732 edition indicate that, besides Milkus, several other pastors of Prussian Lithuania contributed new hymn translations to Berent’s hymnal. The hymns marked by the cryptonyms “J. B. Arch. Inft.”, “I. B. Arch. I.” and “J. B. A. J.” were translated by Berentas himself; “A. F. S. P. P.” by Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis, pastor of Papelkiai; “P. R. P. W.” by Pilypas Ruigys (Philipp Ruhig, 1675–1749), pastor of Valtarkiëmis; “C. St. P. S.” by Kristijonas Štimeris (Christian Stimer, Stimehr, 1676–1750), pastor of Želva; “A. L. P. M.” by Abraomas Dovydas Liuneburgas (Abraham David Lüneburg, 1670–1743), pastor of Klaipėda; and “J. J. S. Pašt. Ruff.” by Jonas Jokūbas Šperberis (Johann Jacob Sperber, 1679–1741), pastor of Rusnė. Berentas also supplemented his hymnal with several hymns from the hymnographic legacy of three translators who had already died: Jono Andriaus Cezario (Johannes Andreas Caesar, ~1650–1710), pastor of Katyčiai; Kristupas Polio (Christoph Poll,?–1693), pastor of Pilupėnai; and Frydrichas Kristupas Rabė (Friedrich Christoph Rabe, 1669–1720), pastor of Narkyčiai (the hymns translated by them bear, respectively, the inscriptions “J. A. Cæf. P. C.”, “J. Andr. Cæfar. Paft. Coadjut.”, “Chriftoph. Poll. P. Pillupp.”, “Chriftoph. Pollii. Paft. Pillup.”, “C. Poll. P. P.”; “F. C. R. P. N.”) (cf. LB I 46).
In his 1732 hymnal, Berentas published 335 old and new hymns (G1732 1–408, Nos. 1–335; Quandt 1735–12–01: [VI]). Based on Guido Michelini’s research, the first edition of Berent’s hymnal, compared with its source—Šusteris’s hymnal—was supplemented with 81 hymns, of which 75 were translated
² The authorship of the German original “O allmächtiger ewiger Vater / erbarm dich unfer” of Milkus’s translated hymn “Wilffálys ämžináffis Tėwe, fufimilk ant murû” was attributed to Horn on the basis of data presented by Philippo Wackernagel (see Wackernagel 1870: 356, No. 427; also see Michelini 2010: 226).
³ In later hymnals (e.g., 1877, 1936), “Janssen” is indicated as the author of the German original “HErr IEſu Chriſt ich ſchrey zu dir” of Milkus’s translated hymn “Įežau Kriftau, tawęſp’ Baukiu”. It is possible that the hymn translator Petrus Janssen (1698–1770) was intended (for more on him, see Koch 1973: 34–35).
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by ten pastors of Prussian Lithuania, while 6 are anonymous⁴. The cryptonyms given in the 1732 edition show that Berentas published 18 translations, Šimelpenigis 15, Ruigys 9, Štimeris 4, and Liuneburgas and Šperberis one each. In addition, Berentas included in his hymnal 8 new hymns by pastors who had already died: 3 each by Cezaris and Polis⁵, and 2 by Rabė. In terms of the number of hymns, all these translators are surpassed by Milkus—19 of his translations were published (see Table 1), that is, one hymn more than Berentas. Thus, when the new repertoire of the hymnal is assessed quantitatively—in other words, with regard to the number of new hymns—it must be stated that in 1732 Milkus had the largest number of translations published among the contemporary translators: in the first edition, his translations account for 23.45 percent, or almost one quarter, of the new hymn repertoire and 5.67 percent of all hymns published in this edition (although the official hymnal was subsequently supplemented with new hymns by other translators, so Milkus’s contribution diminished; see below, section 2). Returning to Ostermejeris’s statement that Šimelpenigis supplied the most hymns for Berent’s hymnal (Ostermejer 1793: 130; Ostermejeris 1996: 364), it must be stated that in the 1732 edition he was still third according to the number of hymns published.
2. THE HYMNS OF PETRO GOTLYBAS MILKUS IN THE 1735 EDITION OF THE HYMNAL
Berent’s new hymnal was published every few years. Before Milkus’s death on 9 June 1753, it appeared five more times: the second edition was printed in 1735, the third in 1738, the fourth in 1740, the fifth in 1745, and the sixth in 1748 (LB I 45–47, Nos. 135–140)⁶.
⁴ This number of hymns (75 + 6 = 81) results from adding the new G1732 texts published in Michelini’s monograph Jono Berento Iš naujo perweizdėtos ir pagėrintos Giesmių Knygos. Mörlino traktato pritaikymas poezijoje (Michelini 2010: 67–209; cf. Michelini 2009: 104).
⁵ One of these three hymns by Jono Andriaus Cezaris, “Kam tu Žmogau wargingas”, was first published in the hymnal of Jono Rikovįjus (Johann Richovius, 1652–1703) (see “Kám režáili žiwatą”, G1685 522–524), later reprinted in Frydrichas Zigmuntas Šusteris’s hymnal (see G1705 407–408), and in 1732 appeared in a heavily edited form, so it is regarded as a new translation (Michelini 2010: 185–186). Another hymn, “Diewe miel’s Štav Taw Paklàną”, was reprinted from the hymnals of Šusteris and Rikovįjus (see G1685 367–368; G1705 566–568); thus, a total of 4 hymns translated by Cezaris were published in 1732.
⁶ It should be added that still later editions, although they grew out of Berent’s hymnal and retained continuous numbering (for example, the 1750 edition is considered the seventh and the 1753 edition the eighth), were prepared by Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis and are called Šimelpenigis’s hymnal (see LB I 386, Nos. 1097–1098 and elsewhere; for more on the official Lithuanian hymnal of the classical model compiled by Šimelpenigis, see Michelini 2009: 132–153).
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Lithuanian bibliographers and researchers of Lithuanian writing knew of no copy of the second (1735) edition that had survived to the present day (Biržiška 1924: col. 54, No. 153; LB I 45, No. 136). It was thought that this edition had not survived (Michelini 2010: 49; Michelini 2013: 84). Recently, a copy of the second edition was found in Prague, at the National Library of the Czech Republic (Czech Národní knihovna České republiky; NK ČR: 33 K 139; on the 1735 hymnal as source and work, see Triškaitė 2020: 33–82).
Although the second edition appeared only three years after the first was printed, a comparative analysis of the two editions revealed important quantitative and qualitative changes. The second edition of the hymnal, published in 1735, was not only supplemented with new hymns, but its structure was also reorganized and the language of the hymns edited. Compared with the first edition, the second was supplemented with 26 new hymns, while one earlier hymn was omitted. In other words, the number of hymns in the hymnal rose from 335 to 360 (cf. G1732 1–408, Nos. 1–335 and G1735 1–432, Nos. 1–360). The hymn that did not appear in the 1735 edition was Milkus’s “Mieli Krikščionis džiaukimės”, a translation of Martin Luther’s popular hymn “Nun freut euch lieben Christen”. In 1732, two translations of it had been published—not only Milkus’s, but also Berentas’s “Iu mes mielėji Krikščionis linksmay”; from 1735 onward, only the latter remained in the hymnal (cf. G1732 171–172, No. 161; 389–390, No. 323 and G1735 196–197, No. 182; also see G1832 225–226, No. 208 and elsewhere). Another important innovation was that all the hymns published in the appendix of the 1732 edition, “Appendix arba Kittos naujos Giesmės ßwėžey pridėtos” (G1732 359–408, Nos. 302–335), including those by Milkus, were transferred in 1735 to the main part of the hymnal, to the hymns of the relevant thematic group, and a new appendix, “Kittos naujos Giesmės ßwėžey pridėtos” (G1735 398–432, Nos. 335–360), was prepared. It contained all 26 new hymns, whose translators were only two: Fabijonas Ulrichas Glazeris (Fabian Ulrich Glaser, 1688–1747), who published 18 hymns here for the first time, and Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis, who supplied 8 new translations (for more on the innovations of the second edition of Berent’s hymnal, see Triškaitė 2020: 55–67). No new translations by Milkus appeared either in the main part of the hymnal or in the newly compiled appendix. In terms of the number of hymns published in 1735, Šimelpenigis surpassed Milkus: the second edition published 18 translations by Milkus and 23 by Šimelpenigis (in addition to the 8 new hymns placed in the appendix, 15 of his hymns from the first edition were reprinted in the main part of the hymnal). Thus, Ostermejeris, claiming that Šimelpenigis supplied the most hymns for Berent’s hymnal (Ostermeyer 1793: 130; Ostermejeris 1996: 364), was only partly right, since Šimelpenigis gained the lead through his increasing number of translations from 1735 onward. In the second edition, Milkus’s hymns accounted for 16.98 percent of the new hymn repertoire and 5 percent of the entire hymnal repertoire.
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It is likely that the same number of hymns by Milkus was published in the third (1738) and fourth (1740) editions, of which not a single copy has yet been found, as well as in the fifth (1745), of which only one copy is known, held at the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg (ЛБ 1044) (LB I 46–47, No. 139), and in the sixth, of which two copies are known: one held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SBB PK: En 9822) (LBP 18, No. 140), and the other, defective, at the Vilnius University Library (VUB: LR 810/1) (LB I 47, No. 140). This assumption is supported by an analysis of the transmission of Milkus’s hymns in later hymnals (see below, section 3). Only the proportions changed in comparison with the contributions of other translators, because the repertoire of the new editions continued to expand; for example, the fourth edition comprised 400 hymns (Ostermeyer 1793: 111; Ostermejeris 1996: 356), the fifth 4097, and the sixth 417 (G1748; also see Quandt 1748–03–01: [VII]).
3. THE RECEPTION OF PETRO GOTLYBAS MILKUS’S HYMNS IN LATER EDITIONS OF THE OFFICIAL HYMNAL
The hymns translated by Milkus were reprinted in later versions and editions of the official hymnal. In 1750, an edition of the official hymnal prepared by Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis appeared, with a second part added; it initiated the tradition of the classical-model hymn collection (for more, see Michelini 2009: 132–153). From 1750 to 1776, the seventh through thirteenth editions of the official hymnal were published, while in 1791 the eighth is thought to have appeared again (see LB I 386–388, Nos. 1097–1104; LBP 68, Nos. 1097, 1102). In the first half of the nineteenth century, the hymnal version prepared by Karolis Gotardas Keberis (Karl Gotthard Keber, 1756–1835) (¹1832) was printed with a third part added by him (see LB I 191–192, Nos. 533–535), while in the second half of the century Frydrichas Kuršaitis’s (Friedrich Kurschat, 1806–1884) version was published every few years (see LB I 204–205, Nos. 570–576; LB I 213–215, Nos. 595–601), and from 1857 it was printed with a third part compiled by him. The first two parts of all these versions were taken from Šimelpenigis’s classical-model hymnal, whose first part was based on Berent’s hymnal and whose second part was based on Glazeris’s hymn collection.
7 In the preface, Kvantas mentioned 408 hymns in this edition (for the quotation, see Michelini 2010: 49, note 279), but in fact it contains 409 (LB I 46, No. 139; Kaunas 1996: 166; Michelini 2009: 115).
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TABLE 2.
The hymn “IEżau Kriftau, kurs tu gawai” and the attribution of its translation in the 1732, 1735 and 1832 editions of the official hymnal
G1732 375, No. 313
G1735 62, No. 61
G1832 [68], No. 72
P. G. M. P. G.
P. G. M. P. G.
A. F. S. P. P.
Jesus Christ, whom you have received, having redeemed us with your precious blood, grant us eternal life with you, also from the Greek people.
Jesus Christ, whom you have received, having redeemed us with your precious blood, grant us eternal life with you, also from the Greek people.
Jesus Christ, whom you have received, having redeemed us with precious blood, grant us eternal life with you, also from the Greek people.
2. Grant us faith, redeemed through your blood, lead us into the joy of Heaven, to the holiness of your Father.
2. Grant us faith, redeemed through your blood, lead us into the joy of Heaven, to the holiness of your Father.
2. Grant us faith, redeemed through your blood, lead us into the joy of Heaven, to the holiness of your Father.
3. Thanks to you, dear Jesus, crucified for us; grant us through that grace of yours to reach the joy of Heaven.
3. Thanks to you, dear Jesus, crucified for us; grant us through that grace of yours to reach the joy of Heaven.
3. Thanks to you, dear Jesus, crucified for us. Grant us through that grace of yours to reach the joy of Heaven.
An analysis of the repertoire of the official hymnal shows that later too—in the Šimelpenigis, Keberis and Kuršaitis versions, as well as in subsequent twentieth-century versions (e.g., 1936)—18 hymns translated by Milkus remained (see Table 3). These are the same hymns first published in 1732 and repeated in the 1735 edition (see above, section 2). In other words, from 1735 onward the number of Milkus’s hymns in the official hymnal became constant: for two full centuries thereafter, 18 of his translations continued to be published (see Table 3).
Attention should be drawn to the fact that in some later editions (e.g., 1776, 1832, 1877, 1936), Šimelpenigis is indicated by the cryptonym “A. F. S. P. P.” as the translator of Milkus’s hymn “IEżau Kriftau, kurs tu gawai”, translated from Georg Werner’s “Der Du HErr IEſu Ruh und Raft” (G1776 67–68, No. 72; G1832 [68], No. 72; G1877 67–68, No. 72; G1936 67–68, No. 72). In other words, in those editions there are only 17 hymns marked with the cryptonym “P. G. M. P. G.” and attributed to Milkus (see Table 3). Nevertheless, philological comparative analysis shows that this hymn is in fact the same translation that was published under Milkus’s name as early as 1732 (see Table 2).
That the attribution of the translation “IEżau Kriftau, kurs tu gawai” to Šimelpenigis in later hymnals should be regarded as an error is also confirmed by the circumstance that Milkųs is indicated as the translator both in the second edition of Berentas’s hymnal (G1735 62, No. 61, see Table 2) and in the edition edited by Šimelpenigis himself
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eighth edition (see G1753[=G1791] 67–68, No. 72)⁸ (it is true that in the thirteenth edition, which appeared after Šimelpenigis’s death in 1776, the cryptonym “A. F. S. P. P.” was already entered beside this hymn). Moreover, the translation of this hymn was attributed to Petras Gotlybas Milkus by his son Kristijonas Gotlybas Milkus in the unofficial hymnal he prepared Sėnos ir naujos krikščioniškos Giesmės (1806, hereafter MG1806, see Fig. 1). It should be added that, when publishing this hymn translated by his father, the son edited it slightly⁹:
P. C. M. P. G. Jesus Christ! who were born in the grave to rest sweetly, grant us to rest in you and also to be released from sins. 2. Grant us Trust, redeemed through your Blood, lead us to Heaven błownajį to the Father who loves us so. 3. Thanks to you, dear Jesus, crucified for us, grant us through your Suffering to transform that distress into Joy eternal. (MG1806 69, No. 70)
¹ FIG. 1. The hymn “Jesus Christ! who were born” and its translation attribution in Kristijonas Gotlybas Milkus’s hymnal Sėnos ir naujos krikščioniškos Giesmės (1806); VUB: Lʀ 777
⁸ That the hymnal appearing in 1791 was a reprint of the eighth edition, see LB I 388, No. 1103. At present, the only known copy of the eighth edition has survived without a title page, and therefore its exact publication year is unknown. On the basis of Quandt’s preface (dated 1752) and the prayer book bound together with the hymnal (printed in 1753), it is thought that it must have appeared in 1752 or 1753 (LB I 386).
⁹ In the quotation provided, the corrected passages of the translation, except for orthographic and punctuation corrections, have been underlined by the author of this article. It should be noted that the cryptonym “P. C. M. P. G.” accompanying the hymn contains a proofreading error: “G.” should have been used instead of “C.” (i.e. “G[otlybė]”).
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TABLE 3. Hymns translated by Petro Gotlybas Milkus published in G1732 and their reception in official hymnal editions of the eighteenth–twentieth centuries
Serial No. | Initial words of the Lithuanian translation by Mikautis published in G1732 | G1732 page, hymn No. | G1735 page, hymn No. | G1753 page, hymn No. | G1776 page, hymn No. | G1832 page, hymn No. | G1877 page, hymn No. | G1936 page, hymn No. 1. Praised be You, O God, be praised forever — pp. 138–139, No. 130 — p. 161, No. 149 — pp. 106–167, No. 173 — pp. 106–167, No. 173 — pp. 106–167, No. 173 — pp. 106–167, No. 173 2. May You be gracious, O God — pp. 152–153, No. 144 — p. 175, No. 163 — p. 178, No. 187 — p. 178, No. 187 — pp. 201–202, No. 187 — p. 178, No. 187 — p. 178, No. 187 3. If the Lord God did not help us — p. 157, No. 148 — p. 179, No. 167 — pp. 181–182, No. 191 — pp. 181–182, No. 191 — p. 205, No. 191 — pp. 181–182, No. 191 — pp. 181–182, No. 191 4. Dear Christians, let us rejoice — pp. 171–172, No. 161 — – — – — – — – — – — – 5. Jesus Christ, I beseech you — pp. 194–196, No. 178 — pp. 223–225, No. 201 — pp. 244–246, No. 241 — pp. 244–246, No. 241 — pp. 279–281, No. 241 — pp. 244–246, No. 241 — pp. 244–246, No. 241 6. Dear Jesus, make my heart gracious — pp. 196–197, No. 179 — pp. 225–226, No. 202 — p. 246, No. 242 — p. 246, No. 242 — pp. 281–282, No. 242 — p. 246, No. 242 — p. 246, No. 242 7. Shine forth, you faithful — p. 361, No. 303 — pp. 5–6, No. 5 — pp. 7–8, No. 7 — pp. 7–8, No. 7 — pp. 8–9, No. 7 — pp. 7–8, No. 7 — pp. 7–8, No. 7 8. Heartily practice what each person [holds in] their heart — p. 362, No. 304 — pp. 7–8, No. 7 — p. 9, No. 9 — p. 9, No. 9 — pp. 10–11, No. 9 — p. 9, No. 9 — p. 9, No. 9 9. Praise God in Heaven, Christians — pp. 362–363, No. 305 — pp. 18–19, No. 19 — pp. 18–19, No. 18–19, No. 21 — pp. 16(e)–16(f), No. 21 — pp. 18–19, No. 21 — pp. 18–19, No. 21 10. Jesus, you are Heaven’s Joy — pp. 372–373, No. 311 — pp. 51–52, No. 52 — pp. 54–55, No. 61 — pp. 54–55, No. 61 — pp. 52–53, No. 61 — pp. 54–55, No. 61 — pp. 54–55, No. 61
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Line No. | G1732 titles of Milkaus’s Lithuanian translations | G1735 page, hymn line No. | G1753 hymns = [179] page, hymn line No. | G176 page, hymn line No. | G182 page, hymn line No. | G1877 page, hymn line No. | G1936 page, hymn line No. 11. KAD Griekės manne kankinių nór — p. 373–374, No. 312 — p. 54–55, No. 54 — p. 57–58, No. 63 — p. 55–56, No. 63 — p. 57–58, No. 63 — p. 57–58, No. 63 12. Ilgiau Kritau, kurs tu gavai — p. 375, No. 313 — p. 62, No. 61 — p. 67–68, No. 72 — p. [68], No. 72* — p. 67–68, No. 72* — p. 67–68, No. 72* — p. 67–68, No. 72* 13. Sėventa Dvawna mus aplanky — p. 379–380, No. 316 — p. 85–87, No. 87 — p. 94–95, No. 102 — p. 99–101, No. 102 — p. 94–95, No. 102 — p. 94–95, No. 102 — p. 94–95, No. 102 14. Wingdÿs amžinasis Tėve, užmirik ant mumū — p. 380–381, No. 317 — p. 93–94, No. 95 — p. 100–101, No. 110 — p. 108, No. 110 — p. 100–101, No. 110 — p. 100–101, No. 110 — p. 100–101, No. 110 15. Tu, miel’s Tėvau, Dūže mano — p. 382–384, No. 319 — p. 148–150, No. 139 — p. 154–156, No. 162 — p. 173–175, No. 162 — p. 154–156, No. 162 — p. 154–156, No. 162 — p. 154–156, No. 162 16. SO Dekawone jau lhnkmy auplinhkit — p. 388, No. 322 — p. 189–190, No. 177 — p. 192–193, No. 203 — p. 218–219, No. 203 — p. 192–193, No. 203 — p. 192–193, No. 203 — p. 192–193, No. 203 17. Paliecawók mielaumui Diewui Iawo Kellus — p. 390–392, No. 324 — p. 203–204, No. 187 — p. 206–207, No. 215 — p. 234–236, No. 215 — p. 206–207, No. 215 — p. 206–207, No. 215 — p. 206–207, No. 215 18. Prieš Diewą ławą mielėj — p. 395–397, No. 326 — p. 226–228, No. 203 — p. 247–248, No. 243 — p. 282–283, No. 243 — p. 247–248, No. 243 — p. 247–248, No. 243 — p. 247–248, No. 243 19. Mielí Krikščionis džiaugkities — p. 407–408, No. 335 — p. 396–397, No. 334 — p. 410–411, No. 398 — p. 480–481, No. 398 — p. 410–411, No. 398 — p. 410–411, No. 398 — p. 410–411, No. 398
(The asterisk * indicates that in the edition the hymn “Jesus Christ, who were born” is marked with the cryptonym “A E F S P. P.”)
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The Hymns Translated by Petro Gotlybas Milkus in the Official Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal of Prussian Lithuania: A Quantitative Aspect
Vaclovas Biržiška surmised that Petras Gotlybas Milkus may have translated more hymns than were published in the official hymnal, and that he had even compiled a manuscript collection of Lithuanian hymns, which his son Kristijonas Gotlybas Milkus later used; however, he did not substantiate his opinion or indicate the source of the information (see BržA II 53). If such a collection had existed, it is likely that the son would have published not only his father’s hymns previously printed, but also at least some of the manuscript ones. Nevertheless, in his hymnal Sėnos ir naujos krikßçonißkos Gieſmės Kristijonas Gotlybas Milkus published only 17 hymns by his father—all of them had already been published in the official hymnal; he included only two translations: the aforementioned “MIeli Krikßçionis dźauk imės” and “Wißgálys amźinaffis Tėwe, ſuffimilk ant mufû” (the latter hymn continued to be printed in the official hymnal; see Table 3).
Summarizing the reception of the hymns translated by Milkus, it should be said that they were reprinted not only in the hymnals of Berentas and Šimelpenigis, but also in later editions of the official Evangelical Lutheran hymnal of Prussian Lithuania, right up to the middle of the fourth decade of the twentieth century (see Table 3).
4. CONCLUSIONS
1. The quantitative analysis of the hymns by Petras Gotlybas Milkus (Peter Gottlieb Mielcke, 1695–1753) published in the official Evangelical Lutheran hymnal of Prussian Lithuania revealed that his hymns, which appeared for the first time in the first (1732) edition of Jono Berentas’s hymnal Jß naujo pérweizdėtos ir pagerīntos Gieſmû=Knygos, made a substantial contribution to updating the repertoire of this hymn collection: of all the translators of that period, Milkus provided the most translations (19), which constituted nearly one quarter of the new hymn repertoire.
2. In the second (1735) edition of Berentas’s hymnal, Milkus’s hymn “MIeli Krikßçionis dźauk imės,” translated from Martin Luther’s “Nun freut euch lieben Chr iften,” was omitted, so 18 of his hymns were published in this edition. From the second edition onward, the number of published translations by Milkus did not change; that is, he made no further contribution to expanding the hymnal with new translations, and these 18 hymns constituted a stable part of the official hymnal repertoire until the eve of the Second World War.
3. Milkus’s hymn “IEzau Kristau, kurs tu gawai,” translated from Georg Werner’s “Der Du HErr IEſu Ruhn und Raft” and first published in the first (1732) edition of Berentas’s hymnal, appears in some later editions, apparently from the second half of the eighteenth century onward, to have been unjustifiably attributed to Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis (Adam Friedrich Schimmelpfennig, 1699–1763).
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4. When assessing the Milkus index of the official hymnal repertoire quantitatively and comparing it with the contribution of other contemporary translators, it can be stated that Milkus ranked first by the number of published hymns in the first (1732) edition, while from the second (1735) edition onward, as the hymnal was continually supplemented with hymns by other translators, his index decreased.
SOURCES AND LITERATURE
Biržiška Vaclovas 1924: Lithuanian Bibliography 1. Sixteenth–Eighteenth Centuries, Kaunas: publication of the Ministry of Education.
Biržiška Mykolas] 1931: From the History of Our Culture and Literature, Book I. Publication of the Faculty of Humanities of Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas: “Spindulys” Company Printing House.
[Bruožis Ansas] Probočių Anūkas 1920: The Future Writers of Lithuania Minor and the More Notable Lovers of the Lithuanian Language, Tilsit: “Spauda” (Pavlovsky) Printing House.
BržA II – Vaclovas Biržiška, Aleksandrynas. Biographies, Bibliographies, and Bio-bibliographies of Old Lithuanian Writers Who Wrote before 1865 2. Eighteenth–Nineteenth Centuries, Vilnius: Sietynas, 21990.
Fischer Albert Friedrich Wilhelm 1878–1879: Kirchenlieder=Lexicon. Hymnologisch=literarische Nachweisungen über ca. 4500 der wichtigsten und verbreitetsten Kirchenlieder aller Zeiten in alphabetischer Folge nebst einer Übersicht der Liederdichter. Zusammengestellt von Albert Friedrich Wilhelm Fischer, Oberpfarrer zu Groß=Ottersleben, Superintendent a. D. 1–2 [...] Gotha. Friedrich Andreas Perthes.
G1685 – New, improved, with the approval of all the Churches of our Lithuania, by the Teachers improved HYMN BOOKS, likewise PRAYER BOOKLETS, very useful in Churches, conveniently arranged and newly issued by M. Jonas Rikovi jus / Pastor of Norkicû. KÖNIGSBERG, Printed by PRIDRIK REUSNER’s widow / 1685 (online edition: Danielius Kleinas, Jonas Rikovi jus, New improved hymn books, New prayer books, 1685, transcription and concordances of word forms prepared by Mindaugas Šinkūnas, Ona Aleknavičienė, Vytautas Zinkevičius, 2004).
G1705 – Danielius Kleinas, Frydrichas Šusteris, New improved hymn books, New prayer books, 1704, online edition: transcription and concordances of word forms prepared by Mindaugas Šinkūnas, Vytautas Zinkevičius, 2008.
G1732 – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Books / in which precious old and new Hymns are written / for the Glory of God / and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia
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for the salvation of souls / together with Prayer=Books / in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. Königsberg / Year 1732. Printed by Johann Friedrich Reusner; SBB PK: En 9820.
G1735 – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Books / in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written / for the Glory of God, and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with Prayer=Books, in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. Second time printed in Königsberg / Year 1735. [...]; NK ČR: 33 K 139.
G1748 – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Books, in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written, for the Glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with Prayer=Books, in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. Sixth time printed. Königsberg, Year 1748. By order of the King; SBB PK: En 9822.
G1753 – [Newly revised and improved Hymn=Books, in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written, for the Glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with Prayer=Books, in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. (...) Königsberg, Year 1753]; LLTIB: B 1956 (defective, title supplied according to the 1748 edition).
G1776 – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Books, in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written for the Glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with Prayer=Books, in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. Königsberg, printed in the royal book=printing house of Artung [1776] (www.epaveldas.lt).
G1832 – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Books, in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written for the Glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with Prayer=Books, in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. Königsberg, printed in Artung’s royal book=printing house [1832] (www.epaveldas.lt).
G1877 – Improved Hymn=Books, in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written for the Glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians living in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with Prayer=Books, in which not only old but also new Prayers are found. Newly revised by F. Kurschat, pastor of the Lithuanians in Königsberg. Königsberg, 1877. Hartung’s newspaper= and publishing=printing house (www.epaveldas.lt).
G1936 – Improved Hymn Books, in which the most precious old and new Hymns are written to the Glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians, together with Prayer Books and a new supplement to the third part. Newly published by the Evangelical Consistory of the Klaipėda Region
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Consistory in 1936. Printed at the “Lituania” printing house. Klaipėda, Palangos Street 23/24 (www.epaveldas.lt).
Kaunas Domas 1996: The Book of Lithuania Minor. The Development of Lithuanian Books 1547–1940, Vilnius: Baltos lankos.
Koch Eduard Emil 1973: History of the Church Hymn and Church Singing of the Christian, Particularly the German Evangelical Church 6. First Main Part. The Poets and Singers, Hildesheim, New York: Georg Olms Verlag.
LB I – Bibliography of the Lithuanian SSR. Series A. Books in the Lithuanian Language 1. 1547–1861, Vilnius: Mintis, 1969.
LBP – Lithuanian Bibliography. Series A. Books in the Lithuanian Language 1. 1547–1861. Supplements, Vilnius: Mintis, 1990.
LE XVIII – Lithuanian Encyclopedia 18. Maurai–Mintauja, Boston: Lithuanian Encyclopedia Publishing House, 1959.
Michelini Guido 2009: The History of the Hymnals of Lithuania Minor: from Martynas Mažvydas to the End of the Twentieth Century, Klaipėda: Klaipėda University Press.
Michelini Guido 2010: Jono Berentas’s Iß naujo perveizdetos ir pagerintos Giesmû Knygos. The Application of Mörlin’s Treatise in Poetry, Vilnius: Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Press.
Michelini Guido 2013: The Hymnals of Prussian Lithuania in the Age of Donelaitis. – Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis 26. Cultural Innovations of the Age of Kristijonas Donelaitis, 79–89.
Mielcke Peter Gottlieb 1731–04–23: Petition to the Prussian government in Königsberg for release from a fine, Jurbarkas (copy); GStA PK: XX. HA Hist. StA Königsberg, EM 46 e, No. 53, 20r–21v, 22v.
MG1806 – Old and New Christian Hymns, especially printed in large type for the elderly for their benefit, together with their new Prayer Booklets. In Königsberg, at Lebrecht Ering’s printing house, in the Year 1806; VUB: Lᵣ 777 (www.epaveldas.lt).
MLE III – Encyclopedia of Lithuania Minor 3. Mec–Rag, Vilnius: Lithuania Minor Foundation, Institute of Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing, 2006.
MLEŽ – Encyclopedic Reference Book of Lithuania Minor, Vilnius: Lithuania Minor Foundation, Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Centre, 2015.
Ostermeyer Gottfried 1793: First Lithuanian History of Hymns, brought to light by Gottfried Ostermeyer, senior pastor of the Trempen congregation and honorary member of the Royal German Society in Königsberg. Königsberg, printed with Drieftian type.
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Ostermejeris Gotfrydas 1996: Selected Writings, compiled and translated by L. Citavičiūtė, Vilnius: Institute of Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing.
Quandt Johann Jacob 1735–12–01: I. N. I. In Christo hertzlich geliebter Lefer! – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Book, in which the most precious old and new hymns are written down, for the glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians residing in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with the Prayer=Book, in which not only old but also new prayers are found. Published for the second time in Königsberg / In the year 1735. [...], [III–X].
Quandt Johann Jacob 1748–03–01: I. N. I. In Christo hertzlich geliebter Lefer! – Newly revised and improved Hymn=Book, in which the most precious old and new hymns are written down, for the glory of God and for the salvation of the Lithuanians residing in the Kingdom of Prussia, together with the Prayer=Book, in which not only old but also new prayers are found. Published for the sixth time. In Königsberg, in the year 1748. Printed by order of the King, [III–XIV].
Triškaitė Birutė 2013: Notes by Petro Gotlybas Milkus in the manuscript dictionary Clavis Germanico-Lithuana. – Archivum Lithuanicum 15, 39–86.
Triškaitė Birutė 2020: The second edition (1735) of Jono Berentas’s hymnal Iß naujo pérweizdėtos ir pagėrintos Giesmû=Knygos and prayer book Maldû=Knygélos: a previously unknown copy in Prague. – Archivum Lithuanicum 22, 33–82.
Triškaitė Birutė, Sidabraitė Žavinta, comp., 2019: Revelations of the Eighteenth-Century Lithuanian Movement in Prussia 2. The Documentary Legacy of the Milkus Family = Die Hintergründe der litauistischen Bewegung im 18. Jahrhundert in Preußen 2. Das dokumentarische Erbe der Familie Mielcke, Vilnius: Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore.
Wackernagel Philipp 1870: The German Church Hymn from the Earliest Period to the Beginning of the Seventeenth Century 3, Leipzig: Printed and published by B. G. Teubner.
The Hymns Translated by Peter Gottlieb Mielcke in the Official Hymn Book for Prussian Lithuania’s Evangelical Lutherans: Quantitative Aspect
SUMMARY
The article analyses the contribution made by Peter Gottlieb Mielcke (Lith. Petras Gotlybas Milkus, 1695–1753) to the repertoire of hymns in Johann Behrendt’s (Lith.
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Jonas Berentas, 1667–1737) hymn book Iß naujo pérweizdėtos ir pagėrintos Giefmnû=Knygos (Reviewed and Improved Hymn Book) (Königsberg, ¹1732, ²1735, etc.) from the quantitative point of view. It also discusses the inclusion of the hymns translated by Mielcke in the later editions and versions of the Official Hymn Book for Prussian Lithuania’s Evangelical Lutherans.
The quantitative analysis of Mielcke’s hymns, which appeared in the first edition of Behrendt’s hymn book (1732) for the first time, revealed that they significantly contributed to the renewed repertoire of the hymn book: out of all the translators of that time, most translations were provided by Mielcke (19 hymns); they accounted for nearly one-fourth of the new repertoire of hymns.
Mielcke’s hymn “Mleli Krikßčionis d͡zaukimos” translated from Martin Luther’s “Nun freut euch lieben Chriſten” was not included in the second edition of Behrendt’s hymn book (1735), meaning that there was a total of 18 hymns translated by him in this edition. In subsequent editions, the number of Mielcke’s translations did not change, i.e., he no longer contributed to the expansion of the hymn book with new translations, and the aforementioned 18 hymns constituted a stable part of the official repertoire of the hymn book until the eve of World War II.
Mielcke’s hymn “IEзaut Kriftau, kurs tu gawãi”, which was translated from Georg Werner’s “Der Dd HErr IEiu Ruh und Raiſt” and published for the first time in the first edition (1732) of Behrendt’s hymn book, was erroneously attributed to Adam Friedrich Schimmelpfennig (Lith. Adomas Frydrichas Šimelpenigis, 1699–1763) in certain later editions, seemingly dating from the second half of the 18th century. Therefore, they include only 17 hymns bearing the cryptonym “P. G. M. P. G.”.
The evaluation of Mielcke’s input into the repertoire of the official hymn book from the quantitative perspective and its comparison with the contributions of other contemporary translators lead to the conclusion that Mielcke took the lead by the number of published hymns in the first (1732) edition, whereas his contribution gradually decreased from the second (1735) edition when the hymn book was continuously supplemented with new hymns of other translators.
