Morning Hymn (Blessed art Thou) [version 1], by Grace Aguilar (ca. 1830s)

Contributor(s):

Grace Aguilar and Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

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14 May 2023 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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Yotser Ohr

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paraliturgical modeh ani, 19th century C.E., waking, תחינות teḥinot, 56th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, teḥinot in English

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Morning hymn.
	Blessed art Thou, oh gracious and ever blessed God, who hast ordained another day should dawn for me. Blessed art Thou, who, in Thy great mercy, hast permitted me to wake in health and strength from the terrors of the dark and silent night.
	Thy shield was around me; Thy arm sustained me; even in sleep Thou wilt not forsake me. Thou withdrawest not Thy arm from me lest I sleep in death. Thou hast recalled my flitting soul, and I wake and think, and rise and move, and my soul would praise Thee, oh my God, but it hath no words adequate to speak those glorious praises!
	The sun, when it shines forth in its splendour, deluging all things with its flood of brilliant light, proclaims Thy Majesty, oh Lord!
	The rain, the wind, speak of Thy unchanging mercy, Thy constant love for man.
	The little birds have raised their early carol, and their voices sing to the glory of their beneficent Maker: but I know not how to utter forth Thy praises, oh our Father! my lips are mute.
	I look forth on all speaking nature, and my heart proclaims Thy glory, and my soul is filled with gratitude and love.
	Oh, my Father, accept the thanksgiving of my heart, for how can I praise Thee, oh Lord, according to Thy works; how can I speak my thanks for Thy never-ceasing goodness?
	Oh teach me to walk in Thy ways, oh my God, that I may come near Thy footstool. Oh lead me in the paths of righteousness, that my soul may utter forth Thy praises, that my lips may speak my gratitude and love.
	Oh Thou art my God; Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee, and exalt Thee for ever, with my whole soul, and my whole heart; and I will give thanks unto Thee, oh God, for Thy mercy endureth for ever.
	Thou hast given me blessings I deserve not. Thou hast given me mercies of which I am unworthy. Far above many of my fellow creatures hast Thou blessed me.
	Oh let me still feel how unworthy I am of such goodness, and each morning bless and glorify Thy Name.
	Blessed art Thou, oh Lord my God, now and for ever.
	Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord!

“Morning hymn (Blessed art Thou)” [version 1] by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Essays and Miscellanies (1853), in the section “Sacred Communings,” pp. 224-225. In the UK edition of Sacred Communings (1853) the prayer appears with small variations of spelling and punctuation on pages 136-138. Another variation of this prayer ([version 2] can also be found on pages 92-93 of the UK edition.

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. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Morning Hymn (Blessed art Thou) [version 1], by Grace Aguilar (ca. 1830s)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Grace Aguilar

Grace Aguilar (2 June 1816 – 16 September 1847) was an English novelist, poet and writer on Jewish history and religion. Although she had been writing since childhood, much of her work was published posthumously. Among those are her best known works, the novels Home Influence and A Mother's Recompense. Aguilar was the eldest child of Sephardic Jewish refugees from Portugal who settled in the London Borough of Hackney. An early illness resulted in her being educated by her parents, especially her mother, who taught her the tenets of Judaism. Later, her father taught the history of Spanish and Portuguese Jews during his own bout with tuberculosis which had led the family to move to the English coast. After surviving the measles at the age of 19, she began to embark on a serious writing career, even though her physical health never completely recovered. Aguilar's debut was an anonymous collection of poems, The Magic Wreath of Hidden Flowers. Three years later she translated Isaac Orobio de Castro's Israel Defended into English at her father's behest. Later her The Spirit of Judaism drew interest and sales in both Britain and the United States after being published in Philadelphia by Isaac Leeser. He added a preface to the work elucidating his differences with her, the first of many clashes her work would have with mainstream Jewish thought. In the 1840s her novels began to attract regular readers, and Aguilar moved back to London with her parents. Despite her success, she and her mother still had to operate a boys' Hebrew school to stay solvent, which she resented for the time and energy it took from her writing. In 1847, she became ill again with a spinal paralysis which she did not let prevent her from visiting her brother in Frankfurt. Her health worsened and she died there that September.

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17