1 Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag,dran sich niemand gnug freuen mag;Christ, unser Herr, heut triumphirt,all sein Feind er gefangen führt.Halleluja!2 Die alte Schlang, die Sünd und Tod,die Höll, all Jammer, Angst und Nothhat überwunden Jesus Christ,der heut vom Tod erstanden ist.Halleluja!3 Am Sabbath früh mit Specereikamen zum Grab Marien drei,daß sie salbten Marien Sohn,der vom Tod war erstanden schon.Halleluja!4 Wen sucht ihr da? der Engel sprach,Christ ist erstanden, der hie lag;hier seht ihr die Schweißtücherlein,geht hin, sagts bald den Jüngern sein.Halleluja!5 Der Jünger Furcht und Herzeleidwird heut verkehrt in eitel Freud;sobald sie nur den Herren sahn,verschwand ihr Trauern, Furcht und Zagn.Halleluja!6 Der Herr hielt ein sehr vreundlich G'sprächmit zween Jüngern auf dem Weg,für Freud das Herz im Leib ihn'n brannt,im Brodbrechen ward er erkannt.Halleluja!7 Unser Simson, der treue Held,Christus, den starken Löwen fällt,der Höllen Pforten er hinträgt,dem Teufel all sein G'walt erlegt.Halleluja!8 Jonas im Wallfisch war drei Tag,so lang Christus im Grab auch lag,denn länger ihn der Tod kein Stundin seim Rachen behalten kunnt.Halleluja!9 Sein Raub der Tod mußt fahren lan,das Leben siegt und g'wann ihm an,zerstört ist nun all seine Macht,Christ hat das Leben wiederbracht.Halleluja!10 Heut gehn wir aus Egyptenland,aus Pharaonis Dienst und Band,und das recht Osterlämmeleinwir essen heut im Brod und Wein.Halleluja!11 Auch essen wir die süßen Brod,die Moses Gottes Volk gebot;kein Sauerteig soll bei uns sein,daß wir leben von Sünden rein.Halleluja!12 Der schlagend Engl fürüber geht,kein Erstgeburt er bei uns schlägt,unser Thürschwelln hat Christi Blutbestrichen, das hält uns in Hut.Halleluja!13 Die Sonn, die Erd, all Kreatur,und was betrübet war zuvor,das freut sich heut an diesem Tag,da der Weltfürst darnieder lag.Halleluja!14 Drum wir auch billig fröhlich sein,singen das Halleluja seinund loben dich, Herr Jesu Christ,zu Trost du uns erstanden bist.Halleluja!Nikolaus Hermann, 1560.
My prose translation:
1 The glorious day has appearedIn which no one can rejoice enough;Christ, our Lord, triumphs to-day;He leads all of His enemies captive.Hallelujah!2 The old serpent, sin and death,Hell, all misery, fear, and distressAre overcome by Jesus Christ,Who to-day is risen from the dead.Hallelujah!3 Early on the Sabbath with spicesThree Marys came to the tombSo that they could anoint Mary's Son,Who was already reisen from the dead.Hallelujah!4 "Whom do you seek there?" the angel says,"Christ, Who lay here, is risen;"Here you see the burial clothes;"Go and tell it soon to His disciples."Hallelujah!5 The disciples' fear and heartacheWill to-day be turned into pure joy;Just as soon as they saw the Lord,Their mourning, fear, and apprehension disappeared.Hallelujah!6 The Lord had a very friendly conversationWith two disciples on the way;For joy, their hearts burned within them;In the breaking of bread, He was recognized.Hallelujah!7 Our Samson, the true Champion,Christ, cuts down the strong lion,Carries the gates of hell,Severs from the devil all his power.Hallelujah!8 Jonah was in the whale for three days;So long did Christ also lay in the tombFor not an hour longer could deathHold Him in its vengeance.Hallelujah!9 Death must let his loot go;Life is victorious and has profited by it;Now all of his power is destroyed;Christ has brought back life.Hallelujah!10 To-day we go out of Egypt,Out of Pharaoh's service and bond,And the true EasterlambWe eat to-day in the bread and wine.Hallelujah!11 We also eat the sweet breadThat Moses offered God's people;No leaven should be with usSo that we live free from sin.Hallelujah!12 The striking angel goes along;No first born by us does he strike;Our doorframes have been coated with the blood of Christ;That keeps us in protection.Hallelujah!13 The sun, the earth, every creature,And what was grieved beforeTo-day rejoices in this dayFor the world's prince is laid low.Hallelujah!14 Therefore we are also properly cheerful,Sing His hallelujah,And praise You, Lord Jesus Christ;You are risen for our comfort.Hallelujah!Nikolaus Hermann, 1560.
I switched the second verse from active voice to passive voice, mostly so I wouldn't have to invert the structure, but the passive voice also illustrates the lack of power that "the old serpent, sin and death" et cetera now have.
The sixth verse summarizes Luke 24:13-35. The third line is literally something like "For joy, the heart in the body burned for them," but I smoothed this out as "For joy, their hearts burned within them."
I'm not too confident in my translation of the second half of the seventh verse, particularly the last line, or the first two lines of the ninth verse.
As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book. (In Lutheran Worship, there is a hymn written by Nikolaus Herman [sic] also sung to the tune "Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag," but this seems to be a different text. It's "That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright" #147.)
According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to "its own melody." Here's an arrangement from TLH: