Who knows how near my end may be

Who knows how near my end may be. Ämelie Juliane Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt* (1637-1706), translated by Catherine Winkworth* (1827-1878). This translation of twelve stanzas, beginning ‘Wer weiss wie nahe mir mein Ende’, was included in Lyra Germanica II (1858), dated 1686. It was entitled ‘Preparation for Death’, with a note: ‘Said to be written on occasion of the sudden death of Duke George of Saxe-Eisenach, while hunting.’ In fact, Duke Johann Georg was killed on 19 September, two days after the date on the manuscript. However, the opening of the original stanza 11 (‘So komm mein End heut oder morgen’ – today or tomorrow) makes the hymn strangely appropriate for such a tragic occasion, and it...