There are creative writers and thinkers who are the origin of words and expressions that have a long life in history. One of them is Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783-1872). He is perhaps best known internationally for his modern ideas about lifelong learning and a completely new type of school -- the folk high school for young people as well as adults -- that was to give people the possibility of developing freely and using their abilities for the benefit of their national community. In this book we feature a selection of his well-known hymns and songs. They are among the most powerful of his entire work marked by an artistic breadth that is immediately sensed. The present English translations -- the work of the poet and translator John Irons, in collaboration with the poet Klaus Heck -- can and should be sung at everyday gatherings of people wishing to express themselves about what is most important in human existence: faith, hope and love.