Lembo La Benga / Hymns in the Benga Language

240 Pages·10.963 MB·

by  Nassau R.H. (Ed.)

FROM THE LIBRARY OF
REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D.
BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO
THE LIBRARY OF
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
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Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
Princeton Theological Seminary Library
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LEMBO LA BENGA.
FEI 10 193;
Y M N
II
BENGA LANGUAGE.
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Wm
;
WJ*>W 3
BY THE CORISCO MISSION,
WEST AFEICA.
PJBINTED BY THE AMERICAN TKACT SOCIETY.
1873.

HISTORICAL PREFACE.
Doubtless, efforts were made in our Mis-
sion to cultivate a native Hymnology before
1856, but the earliest date I have obtained is
in the statement that Rev. George M'Queen
" attempted to translate hymns before he
came to America in 1857."
In the back leaves of Bev. William Clem-
ens' translation of the Westminster Shorter
Catechism, printed in 1858, are three hymns,
two of which, the 141st, "Umwaka, ilina
jame," and the 197th, "O na ehikc eyam',"
are still retained.
These efforts were continued for in the
;
private papers of Mr. M'Queen, on the 11th
of February, 1859, only a month before his
death, is a record of the completion by his
native interpreter of hymns 20th, "Batati na
:
4 LEMBO LA EENGA.
manga mabu," and 49th, "O vanakwendini
na," now for the first time printed.
These various translationswere made with-
out concerted action, and were gathered by
individuals into manuscript collections con-
taining some fifteen hymns, of which are here
retained the 17th, 24th, 29th, 40th, 45th, 74th,
83d,104th, 142d,191st,192d, and193d. These
were employed atUgobiandAlongo,butwere
notin generaluse,Englishhymnsbeingmost-
ly sung, and of course singing was confined
almost to the pupils of the schools and to the
few church members who had succeeded in
learning English.
Dr. C. L. Loomis was anxious to have used,
in all the churchservices andprayer-meetings
throughout the Mission, hymns which would
be understood by the masses, even by the
heathen. One of his first efforts at transla-
tion was the Sabbath-school song
"Children, come, willyou come?
HeartheSaviourproclaiming,"
which I remember copying on the first Sab-
bath after my arrival at Corisco, in Septem-
ber, 1861, for the use of the teachers in the
afternoon school.