Christian Hymn te’ tangthu: Amah Thei Ning

My Savior First of All/ I Shall Know Him
(Late 16:11)
Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915)
John R. Sweney (1837-1899)

Hih zong la dawng 8,000 val a phuak Fanny Crosby’ phuah la ngaih mahmah khat ahi hi. America gam New York State nitumna lam Lake Erie gei-ah Lake Chautauqua a kici bual khat om hi. Tua lai-ah a kiphuat zawh kum 100 val a pha khin Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle kici Christian kipawlna khat om hi. “Nuntakna Khomun” (Break Thou the Bread of Life), leh “Day Is Dying in the West” (Tung Sunni A Tum Ta A-Xtian La No. 30) te bang tua lai-a Bible class leh vesper kikhopna-a sak dinga Mary Lathbury in 1877 kuma a phuah late ahi hi. William F. Sherwin in Lathbury’ phuah late a aw phuahsaka, “Gal Dona Awng Un” (Sound the Battle Cry) la zong na phuak hi. Gospel lasakna pen hih kikhopna ah a pangpi khat hi a, Fanny Crosby zong khuakhal hun simin hih kikhopna ah kal khat sung peuhmah kihel den hamtang hi.

Fanny Crosby in tua kikhopna ah thu gen dena, ama’ hun peuhmah a hih nak leh musician-te in nuamsa-in, khat leh khat kikholhkhopna hun nuam khat-in zang den uh hi. Khatvei, “A Thu Zaza Nuam Ing” (More About Jesus) la-aw a phuahna tawh a minthang John R. Sweney zong kikhopna ah kihel hi. John Sweney in Fanny Crosby’ phuah “Zeisu’ Tangthu Ke’n Za Nuam Ing” (Tell Me the Story of Jesus) leh “Take the World But Give Me Jesus” a cih late a aw a phuahsaksa a hi hi. Tua tungtangin zong Fanny in la thak khatpeuh a phuak kha tam, ci-in lam-en sim gige hi.

Sunin kikhop hun nuam mahmah khat a man khit uh ciangin nitak khat Fanny leh Sweney-te a tunna uh hotel mai ah tawlnga-in holim uh hi. Nisima manlah den a hih zawzenna khuapi sung nuntak panin tua bang mun nuam hiithiat khat-a tua bang hun nuam a zat theihna khawng uh kikum uh hi. Nuamsa mahmah uh a vantung gam bang phial hi, ci-in ngaihsun uh hi.

Tua leh, Sweney in, “Fanny, gen kizomin vantung gam thu i gen ngeii leh, i Topa’n eite adinga hong bawlkholhsak vantung gam taktak i tun teh khat leh khat i mel a kithei dingin na um hia?” ci-in dong laizang hi. Fanny in, “John, ke’n khat leh khat a kithei ding mah-in ngaihsun ve’ng e. Annie Herbert in, ‘Khuamuii kaiiteng a ven teh khat leh khat i kithei zaw ding hi’ a cih lah ke’n ka um mahmah a, nang cih nopna ah bel, ‘Na neutunga kipan na mit-in kuama ta peuhmah a mu ngei lo na hih teh na lawmte, a diakdiakin i Topa na muh teh na thei mawk tam?’ ong ci nuam hi ngeel ci’n, kei zong ngaihsun ngei zel lua inghin, ka lawmte’ mel ahi a, i Topa’ mel ahi zong theih lah dingin ngaihsun ke’ng. Ka buai khak zenzen leh zong, ka Honpa hi ngel inteh ci-a ka up penpen’ kiangah pai-in, ‘Na khut hong lak pak dih ve’ ka ci dinga, a khut sung pawnte tawh i Topa ka thei ding hi” ci-in a lungsim genkhia hi.

John Sweney tawlpi khat sung pau lo in om dedu hi. Fanny’ gen zia in bun lua mahmah a, a pau ding thei pak lo hi. Tua ciangin thakhat-in, “Oh Fanny, tu-a na gente la-in nong phuak thei tam? Hongphuak le teh mi tampi’ ading thupha lianpi hi taktak ding hi” a cih leh, Fanny in, “John, hih vai thu na ngen ningin, tu’n bel ka lup hun kheng keii ta in zingsang teh kimu kik ni aw” ci-in kikhen uh hi.

Zingsang tungin Fanny Crosby in John Sweney koi-ah om hiam ci-in kana, “My Savior First of All” a kici hih la a kamin gena Sweney in lai-in gelhkhiatsak hi. “Leitung ka nasep bei-a tuihual ka kantan ciang…” ci-in pana khawl lo-in taang khatna zo hi. Tua teh a sakkik in zui-a, “Amah thei ning, Amah thei ning” ci ngelhngelh-a, “A khut a kikhetna pawn panin” ci-in khum hi. A zan nitaka a tutkhopna panun Fanny in la ngaih mahmah dawng khat a phuak khin hong hi ziau leuleu a, John Sweney in a aw phuahsak hi.

Hih la a phuak Fanny Crosby pen America gam Southeast, New York ah March 24, 1820 ni-in suak hi. Kha khat leh a lang (nipi kal 6) a phak ciangin a mitna a zatui kinuh khial a hih manin a mit taw a, a khan tawntung mit khua mu lo-in om hi. A sih dongin New York City a St. John’s Methodist Episcopal Church ah pawlpi mi citak mahmah khat-in om hi. A neutunga kipan in a pi in thu le la kici khempeuh ah pantah hi. New York School for the Blind kici mit khua mu lote’ sangah pilna sin hi. 1847 kum panin 1858 kum dong tua sang mah ah sangsia sem hi. 1958 kumin tua sang mah-a sem mite’ zahtaak mahmah music sia Alexander Van Alstyne tawh kiteng uh hi.

A neu tunga kipan in laphuah lam a vak hi a, ahi zongin leitung la pian vive hi zaw hi. “Rosalie, the Prairie Flower” kici la a phuahna hangin $3,000 ngah a, tua hun adingin tawm het lo hi. Church music lam-a minthang mahmah William B. Bradbury’ thuzawhna tungtawnin kum 40 a phaka kipanin gospel lamal bek phuaka, ama’ genna ah “tua gam sunga a lungnuampen mi” hong suak hi. Fanny Crosby in la a phuah ciangin khukdin-in thungen-a Pasian’ makaihna zong masa lo peuhmah-in phuak ngei lo hi. A Laisiangtho sungah American lan (flag) khat tep liklek den sen hi. Ama’ hun-a gospel laphuak minthang mahmah Ira D. Sankey, William H. Doane, John R. Sweney, George C. Stebbins, George Root, William J. Kirkpatrick, leh adang tuamtuamte tawh kithuah in la tampi phuak hi. A khan sunga a laphuah pongpong dawng 8,000 val hi, ci-in kiciamteh hi. February 12, 1915 ni, ama’ kum 95 a phak laitakin i Topa’ kiang hong zuatsan hi.

Fanny Crosby’ phuah late lakah hih “Amah Thei Ning” (My Savior First of All/I Shall Know Him) banah, “Lungmuanna Thupha” (Blessed Assurance),“A Sia Ding Honkhia In” (Rescue the Perishing), “Lam Tawntung A Hong Paipih Hi” (All the Way My Savior Leads Me), “Pasian Min Pha Ta Hen” (To God Be the Glory) cih langaihte kihel hi.

Hih la-aw a phuakpa John R. Sweney pen America gam West Chester, Pennsylvania ah December 31, 1837 ni-a suak ahi hi. Tua gam sunga music sang leh college tuamtuamte ah sangsia sema muibun mahmah hi. Ama’ hun lai-in la makaih siampen khat-a minthang ahi hi. Kum 25 sung Pennsylvania Military Academy ah professor of music sem hi. 1886 kumin tua sang mah in Doctor of Music Degree pia hi. A khan sungin lamal leh la-aw dawng 1,000 val phuaka, midangte tawh kopkhawmin labu 60 val kaikhawmin khenkhia hi. “A Thu Zaza Nuam Ing” (More About Jesus) zong a aw ama’ phuah mah ahi hi.

Rev. Zam Khat Kham
Christian Hymn te’ tangthu 2005