Christian Hymn te’ tangthu: Lamdang Lua Hi, Ong Hehpihna

Christian Hymn te’ tangthu: Lamdang Lua Hi, Ong Hehpihna

Amazing Grace
(Khangtangthu Masa 17:16,17)
John Newton (1725-1807)
Early American Melody
From Carrell and Clayton’s
“Virginia Harmony,” 1831

England gam Olney biakinn huang sunga om han-a granite mualsuang tungah, “John Newton, lai-at, hunkhat lai-a thu um lo mi le pumpi kideek lo-a a uangtatmi, Africa gama sila mante’ nasempa, i Topa leh i Honpa’ lainatna kicing in kemin, samkik-a, a mawhna khempeuh maisakin sawtveipi sung suksiat a sawm tua Upna thu hilh dingin a koih pa” ci-in lai kigelh hi. A sih ma-a amah mahmah in a gelh hih teci panna in 18th century lai-a evangelical thuhilhsiapa John Newton’ nuntakna tuampian zia hong lak hi.

John Newton kum 7 zong pha nai pha lo-in Pasian um mahmah a nu in sihsan hi. Sawtpi mah dam lo-a om ahih manin a sawt lo-in si ding cih kithei hi. Tua hi a, a sih ma-in a tapa Laisiangtho tampi muam hi. A pa in zi a neihkik khit, inn pan pialkhia-a pilna tawlkhat sung a sin khit, kum 11 a phak ciangin a pa’ tembaw zui-in tembaw nasep kipan hi. Tembaw zuih a kipat cil lam-in gitlohna leh zunek sanekna vive-in a hun bei hi. Tembaw tuamtuam ah nasem-a, Africa gam sung leh tuikulh pawlkhatte ah sila lei mite’ kianga zuak ding sila tampi a mat khit ciangin, ama’ sila pua tembaw uk captain suak hi. Gen zong a kul vet lo, Africa gam pan mivomte man-a America leh West Indies gamteah lokho ding sila-a a zuakkik mawk uh bel mihing’ tat dinga kilawm lo nasep ahi hi.

March 10,1748 ni-in Africa gam pan England gam a ciahkikna uh tuipi tungah huihpi tuakin simang dingin kithawi uh hi. Newton in Thomas A. Kempis’ gelh Imitation of Christ kici laibu a simsim laitak ahi hi. Kempis (1380-1471) pen Dutch priest khat hi a, the Brethren of the Common Life kici pawl mi ahi hi. Tua laibu tuni dongin kikhenkhen lai hi. Tua huihpi lau huai mahmah leh tua laibu sunga kigen thute in ni khat ni cianga Newton in Zeisu Khazih a Honpa-in sanga a pianthak nading khaici suak hi.

Tua khit zawh kum tam simsim sila pua tembaw uk captian mah semsem lai hi. Tembaw tunga mite’ nuntakna a nuamzaw dingin hanciam a, tua tembaw-a nasem lungsim khauh mahmah mi 30 te’ ading Nipi Ni simin biakpiakna kikhop bawlsak hi. A tawpna ah tua bang nasep pen mihing vai lo cih tel semsema, sila zuakna langpanin thu bang gen ta hi. England gamah ciah-a, February 12, 1750 ni-a a tenpih a zi tawh nuamtakin om uh a, Port of Liverpool ah kum 9 sung lai-at (clerk) sem hi. Tua hun sungin lungdamna thu gen ding leh Pasian’ nasem dingin Pasian’ sapna ngah-a, lai nakpi-in sim hi. Evangelist George Whitefield leh John Wesley leh Charles Wesley-te unau in panpih mahmah uh hi napi, Anglican pawlpi pan paikhiat sawm lo zaw-in pawlpi sung mah ah sem hi. Ama’ kum 39 a phak ciangin Anglican pawlpi sungah ordination kipia a, England gam Cambridge gei a Olney ah pastor sep kipan hi. Kum 15 sung, 1764 pan 1779 ciang, a nasepna lawhcing mahmah hi.

A nuntak zia leh a pianthakna teci a pannate muibun mahmah a, ama’n zong tua thu mah gen pahpah hi. Biakinn-a thu a hilh bek hi lo-in khua kiim khua paam ah inn gol khatpeuh a muh ciangin thuhilhna-in zang den hi. Tua hun lai-a Anglican pastor-te’ tatzia hi het lo hi. A thuhilhna peuh ah “Tembaw Captain Piangtakpa” thugen ngai dingin mi tampipi kikhawm den uh hi.

Olney Pawlpi ah a sep lai-in tua bangin thuhilhna tuamtuamte a zat banah Anglican pawlpi dangte’ zat Sternhold and Hopkins Psalter kici labu sunga Late zang lo-in lungsim takpi-a a gen a thuhilhna tawh kituak hymn-te sa zaw uh hi. Sak ding la a kicingin a muh zawh loh ciangin amah mah in phuaka, a vengpa William Cowper zong cial-in 1779 kumin Olney Hymn kici labu khat khenkhia uh hi. Tua labu sungah la dawng 349 om-a, dawng 67 te Cowper’ phuah hi a, a dangteng Newton’ phuah ahi hi. A deihna bulpi uh, Newton’ thumapi sunga om bangin, “thu ummite’ upna leh kihehnepna khantohsak nopna” ahi hi.

1947 kuma kipanin Olney Church ah zatdan tradition khat phuan uh hi. ‘Lent’ kipat ma Nipi zawh ni nihni-in (Shrove Tuesday) kum sima a bawl uh “annual pancake race” tai kidemna bawl uh hi. Pawlpi sunga numeite in a kam vuah mohpheng pet kawmin khua lai pan hong taii uh a, Olney biakinn a tun uh ciangin a khatna ngahte’ min kipulaaka, tua teh pawlpi bup in “Lamdang Lua Hi, Ong Hehpihna’ (Amazing Grace) leh Olney Hymn sunga late sa zuahzuah uh hi.

Olney pan a khawl khit ciangin a nuntakna a omlai kum 27 sung London-a St. Mary Woolnoth Church ah pastor sem hi. Ama’ tungtawna piangthakte’ lakah East Indies ah missionary-a pai Claudius Buchanan leh Laisiangtho hilhcian gelhsia Thomas Scott-te minthang mahmah uh hi. Tua hun lai mah in sila zuakna a kiphiat nadinga thugengen Wilberforce tawh hong kipawl uh a, Newton’ sih kum 1807 kum lianin British Parliament in amau’ uk sung khempeuh ah sila zuakna phiatbei hi.

1790 kumin kum 40 sung a koppih a it mahmah a zi cancer natna-in si hi. Mary pen amah a it taktak, a thanem cianga tha a guan den hi-a, a sih mawk ciangin zi neikik lo-in kum 17 sung meigong-in om hi. 1893 kumin John Newton leh a zi Mary-te’ guhsiate kikaikhawm-a Olney biakinn huang sunga hanah kivuikhawm hi. Tua lai ah mualsuang khat kiphut-a, tuni dongin om hi.

Kum 82 pha a a sihkhiat dongmah, John Newton in a nuntakna a khel Pasian’ lainatna leh hehpihna lamdangte lungngaingai-in lamdang a sakna peeng thei lo hi. A sih madeuh-in pawlpi sunga thusapa in John Newton a ci lah dam nawn lo, a mit leh a lungsim mahmah zong hat nawn lo ahih teh pension la mai leh ci-in gen kha zenzen-a, “Bang e, Africa gama Pasian’ min a daisak, tu-a puteekpa pau thei lai pipi-in khawl ding maw?” ci-in dawng hi. A sih madeuh mah in a thugenna ah “Ka lungsim hat nawn het kei, na khempeuh phial mangngilh keii ta ingh, ahih hang hih thu nih phawk gige ingh: Kei mawhna lian a neipa ka hi a, Khazih pen a lian Honpa ahi hi”ci-in gen hi.

A gen nop khempeuh a khin hiau bel a la phuah “Lamdang Lua Hi, Ong Hehpihna” ahi hi. A cil-in taang 6 pha a, “Faith’s Review and Expectation” (Upna Etkikna leh Lam-etna) ci-in thulu kipia hi. Khangtangthu Masa 17:16,17 kibulphuh ahi hi. A kiletkhia ngei lo Newton’ phuah tua taang thumte hi bang ahi hi.

1. The Lord has promised good to me,His word my hopes secures;
He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.
2. Yes, when this heart and flesh shall fail, and mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess within the veil, a life of joy and peace.
3. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine;
But God, Who called me here below, will be forever mine.

A la-aw, “Amazing Grace” pen America gam a kisat cil lai-a kisasa American folk melody khatpan-a kila ahi hi. Lokho mite’sak “Loving Lambs” kici la-in kisa masa a, 1831 kuma Winchester, Virginia a kikhen James P. Carrell leh David S. Clayton-te’ kaihkhop The Virginia Harmony kici labu sungah hih la-aw kihel masapen hi. America gam khanglam-a kikhen labu peuhmah ah kihel den hi. “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” (Pasian Khuapi Zion- Xtian. la No. 311) zong John Newton’ phuah mah ahi hi. Rev. Zam Khat Kham (Christian Hymn te’ tangthu 2005)