e." When the poet modestly answered in
the affirmative, so the story runs, the king promised him the bishopric.
When Erik Pontoppidan, later bishop of Bergen, was appointed to revise
Kingo's hymnal, which for forty years had served the churches of Denmark
and Norway, he found his task a comparatively simple one through the
valuable assistance rendered by Brorson. Kingo's hymns were changed only
slightly, and the greater part of the new material was from Brorson's
pen.

The later years of the poet were darkened by sad experiences. In the year
that Brorson was elevated to the bishopric, his beloved wife died while
giving birth to their thirteenth child. This and other troubles served to
make him melancholy in spirit, but he did not cease to compose poems of
rarest beauty. His thoughts, however, turned more and more toward heaven
and the blessedness of the life hereafter. A celestial radiance is
reflected in the hymns of his "Swan-Song." This is particularly true of
"Behold, a host arrayed in white," a lyric that has become a favorite in
America as well as in Europe through its association with Edvard Grieg's
famous adaptation of a Norwegian folk song.

Brorson's earnest character and pious nature made him deeply concerned
about the salvation of souls. Many of his poems and hymns contain solemn
warnings touching on the uncertainty of life and the need of seeking
salvation. His gripping hymn, "Jeg gaar i Fare, hvor jeg gaar," gave
Archbishop Wallin, the great Swedish hymnist, the inspiration for his
noble stanzas:

I near the grave, where'er I go,
Where'er my pathway tendeth;
If rough or pleasant here below,
My way at death's gate endeth.
I have no other choice;
Between my griefs and joys
My mortal life is ordered so:
I near the grave, where'er I go.

I go to heaven, where'er I go,
If Jesus' steps I follow;
The crown of life He will bestow,
When earth this frame shall swallow.
If through this tearful vale
I in that course prevail,
And walk with Jesus here below,
I go to heaven, where'er I go.

Other well-known hymns by Brorson are "Thy little ones, dear Lord, are
we," "O Father, may Thy Word prevail," "O watch and pray," "Life's day is
ended," "My heart, prepare to give account," "By faith we are divinely
sure," "Children of God, born again of His Spirit," "O seek the Lord
today," "I see Thee standing, Lamb of God," "Stand fa