DACH

dach, simon (1605-1659), german lyrical poet, was born at memel in east prussia on the 29th of july 1605. although brought up in humble circumstances, he received a careful education in the classical schools of konigsberg, wittenberg and magdeburg, and entered the university of konigsberg in 1626 as a student of theology and philosophy. after taking his degree, he was appointed in 1633 _kollaborator_ (teacher) and in 1636 co-rector of the domschule (cathedral school) in that city. in 1639 he received the chair of poetry at the university of konigsberg, which he occupied until his death on the 15th of april 1659. in konigsberg he entered into close relations with heinrich albert (1604-1651), robert roberthin (1600-1648) and sibylla schwarz (1621-1638), and with them formed the so-called _konigsberger dictergruppe_. he sang the praises of the house of the electors of brandenburg in a collection of poems entitled _kurbrandenburgische rose, adler, lowe und scepter_ (1661), and also produced many occasional poems, several of which became popular; the most famous of them is _anke von tharaw oss, de my gefollt_ (rendered by herder into modern german as _annchen von tharau_), composed in 1637 in honour of the marriage of a friend. among his hymns, many of which are of great beauty, are the following: _ich bin ja, herr, in deiner macht_, _ich bin bei gott in gnaden durch christi blut und tod_, and _o, wie selig seid ihr boch, ihr frommen_. editions of dach's poems have been published by w. muller (1823), by h. osterley (for the stuttgart _literarischer verein_, 1876); also selections by the same editor (1876), and in kurschner's _deutsche nationalliteratur_ (1883). see especially the introductions to osterley's editions; also h. stiehler, _simon dach, sein leben und seine ausgewahlte dichtungen_ (1896).