There were so many different options because of all those earlier stanzas, quite a bit of source material I’d say, and because of the fact that this hymn has been theologically redacted in a big way. Catherine Winkworth even got involved by translating a variant version of the hymn. John C Mattes added another stanza in 1914. Friedrich Layritz wrote two more stanzas around the same time, and these have been translated by Harriett R. In the 19th cent., Theodore Baker gave us the first two stanzas in English, translating from the German original. A lot of hands have been involved in the transmission and translation of the words to the hymn. In 1599 they even bumped it up to 23, but these days it’s usually trimmed down to 5 or 6. As we’ve seen, those Germans really love their long songs.
Written anonymously under the title “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen,” this song originally had about 19 stanzas. “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” is a German hymn first printed in 1582.
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