Sunday, July 28, 2024

"Es war die ganze Welt" (#151)

This is the first hymn in a new section:  "Lieder am Fest Johannis des Täufers (Am 24. Juni.)"  "Songs on the Feast of John the Baptist (on 24 June)"

German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Es war die ganze Welt
von Mosis Fluch erschrecket,
bis St. Johannes hat
den Finger ausgestrecket
auf Jesum, welchen er
zum Heiland aller Welt
als sein Vorläufer hat
gezeigt und vorgestellt.

2 Vor dem er ungeborn
mit Freuden aufgesprungen,
zu dem er sich bekannt
mit unberedter Zungen
in seiner Mutter Leib
und mit Elias Geist
bei Groß und Kleinen ihn
gepredigt und geweist:

3 Sieh, das ist Gottes Lamm,
das unsre Sünde träget,
das sich der ganzen Welt
zum Opfer niederleget;
sieh, das ist Gottes Lamm,
bei dem man aller Sünd
Vergebung, Friede, Ruh
und alle Gnade findt.

4 Wohl dem, der dieses Lamm,
das uns Johannes weiset,
im Glauben fest ergrieft
und in dem Leben preiset.
Wer dieser Tauf gedenkt
und wahre Buße übt,
der wird von ihm auch sein
begnadet und geliebt.

5 So gib, du großer Gott,
daß wir Johannis Lehre
von Herzen nehmen an,
daß sich in uns bekehre,
was bös und sündlich ist,
bis wir nach dieser Zeit
mit Freuden gehen ein
zu deiner Herrlichkeit.

Dr. Joh. Gottfr. Olearius, +1711.
My prose translation:
1 The whole world was
Frightened by Moses' curse
Until St. John
Stretched out his finger
To Jesus, Whom he,
As his forerunner,
Showed and prefigured
As Savior of the world.

2 Before Him, he, unborn,
Leapt with joy;
He professed Him
With unspeaking tongue
In the womb of his mother
And with Elijah's spirit
To great and small
Preached and pointed to Him:

3 Look, that is God's Lamb,
Who bears our sin,
Who lies down as the sacrifice
For the whole world;
Look, that is God's Lamb,
With Whom one finds
Forgiveness of all sin,
Peace, rest, and all mercy.

4 Well is he who in faith
Firmly grasps this Lamb,
To Whom John points for us,
And praises in his life.
He who has thought of this baptism
And practices true repentance
Will by Him also be
Blessed and loved.

5 So grant, You great God,
That we take John's teaching
To heart
So that in us, it converts
What is evil and sinful
Until we, after this time
With joy, enter
Your splendor.

Dr. Joh. Gottfr. Olearius, +1711.
I shuffled some lines near the ends of the first and third verses and the beginning of the fourth verse to get smoother English translations.

The first part of the second verse summarizes the events in Luke 1:39-45.  "Bei Groß und Kleinen" ("To great and small") is a merism.

The first two lines of the third verse ("Sieh, das ist Gottes Lamm, / das unsre Sünde träget" "Look, that is God's Lamb, / Who bears our sin") come nearly verbatim from part of John 1:29:  "Siehe, das ist Gottes Lamm, das der Welt Sünde trägt!" "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"  I translated them a bit less formally.

This hymn appears as "When All the World Was Cursed" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#272), Lutheran Worship (#187), and The Lutheran Service Book (#346), although the LSB version omits the fourth verse.  In all of these, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to the tune "Was frag' ich nach der Welt."  Here's the TLH arrangement:

Sunday, July 21, 2024

"Was alle Weisheit in der" (#150)

German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Was alle Weisheit in der Welt
bei uns hier kaum kann lallen,
das läßt Gott aus dem Himmelszelt
in alle Welt erschallen:
daß er alleine König sei,
hoch über alle Götter,
groß, mächtig, freundlich, fromm und treu
der Frommen Schutz und Retter,
Ein Wesen, drei Personen.

2 Gott Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist
heißt sein hochheilger Name;
so kennt, so nennt, so rühmt und preist
ihn der gerechte Same:
Gott Abraham, Gott Isaak,
Gott Jakob, den er liebet,
Herr Zebaoth, der Nacht und Tag
uns alle Gaben gibet
und Wunder thut allein.

3 Der Vater hat von Ewigkeit
den Sohn, sein Bild, gezeuget;
der Sohn hat in der Füll der Zeit
im Fleische sich eräuget;
der Geist geht ohne Zeit herfür
vom Vater und vom Sohne,
mit beiden gleicher Ehr und Zier,
gleich ewig, gleicher Krone
und ungetheilter Stärke.

4 Sieh hier, mein Herz, das ist dein Gut,
dein Schatz, dem keiner gleichet;
das ist dein Freund, der alles thut,
was dir zum Heil gereichet;
der dich gebaut nach seinem Bild,
für deine Schuld gebüßet,
der dich mit wahrem Glauben füllt
und all dein Kreuz durchsüßet
mit seinem heilgen Worte.

5 Erhebe dich, steig zu ihm zu
und lern ihn recht erkennen,
denn solch Erkenntniß bringt die Ruh
und macht die Seele brennen
in reiner Liebe, die uns nährt
zum ewgen Freudenleben,
da, was hier unser Ohr gehört,
Gott wird zu schauen geben
den Augen seiner Kinder.

6 Weh aber dem verstockten Heer,
das sich hier selbst verblendet,
Gott von sich stößt und seine Ehr
auf Kreaturen wendet!
Dem wird gewiß des Himmels Thür
einmal verschlossen bleiben;
denn wer Gott von sich treibt allhier,
den wird er dort auch treiben
von seinem heilgen Throne.

7 Ei nun, so gib, du großer Held,
Gott Himmels und der Erden,
daß alle Menschen in der Welt
zu dir bekehret werden.
Erleuchte, was verblendet geht,
bring wieder, was verirret,
reiß aus, was uns im Wege steht
und freventlich verwirret
die Schwachen in dem Glauben.

8 Auf daß wir also allzugleicht
zur Himmelspforten dringen
und dermaleins in deinem Reicht
ohn alles Ende singen:
daß du alleine König seist,
hoch über alle Götter,
Gott Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist,
der Frommen Schutz und Retter,
Ein Wesen, drei Personen.

Paul Gerhardt, 1666.
My prose translation:
1 What all the wisdom in the world
With us here can hardly babble
God lets resound out of the tent of Heaven
In all the world:
That He alone is King,
High above all gods,
Great, mighty, friendly, gentle, and true,
Protection and Deliverer of the pious,
One Being, three Persons.

2 God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Is His most holy Name;
Thus knows, thus calls, thus extols and praises
Him the righteous offspring:
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
The God of Jacob, whom He loves,
The Lord of hosts, Who night and day
Gives us all gifts
And alone does wonders.

3 The Father has from eternity
Begotten the Son, His Image;
The Son has in the fullness of time
Made Himself visible in the flesh;
The Spirit proceeds without time
From the Father and from the Son,
With both equal in glory and adornment,
Equally eternaly, of equal crown,
And undivided strength.

4 Look here, my heart; that is your Good,
Your Treasure, to Whom no one compares;
That is your Friend, Who does everything
That gives you salvation;
Who made you according to His image,
Atones for your guilt,
Who fills you with true faith
And sweetens all your cross
With His holy word.

5 Rise, go up to Him
And learn to recognize Him rightly
For such knowledge brings peace
And makes the soul burn
In pure love, which nurtures us
For the eternal life of joy
Where what our ear has heard here
God will give to look upon
To the eyes of his children.

6 But woe to the impenitent crowd
That blinds itself here,
Trusts God from itself,
And assigns His glory to creatures!
Certainly to it will the door of Heaven
Later remain closed;
For whoever drives God from himself here
Will He there also drive
From his holy throne.

7 Oh, now, so grant, You great Champion,
God of Heaven and of the earth,
That all people in the world
Will be converted to You.
Enlighten those who walk blindly,
Bring back those who stray,
Tear out that which stands in our way
And wickedly bewilders
The weak in faith.

8 So that we thus altogether
Reach the gates of Heaven
And once in your kingdom
Sing without any end:
That You alone are King,
High above all gods,
God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Protection and Deliverer of the pious,
One Being, three Persons.

Paul Gerhardt, 1666.
I don't know why the clauses "daß er alleine König sei" in the first verse and "daß du alleine König seist" in the eight have subjective verbs ("that He alone would be King," "that You alone would be King"), unless it's just to set up the rhymes with "treu" and "Geist."  In my translation, I rendered them as a regular indicatives ("that He alone is King," "that You alone are King").

I think it's interesting that in the line "Ein Wesen, drei Personen" at the end of the first and eighth verses, "Ein" is capitalized to mark it as the numeral (one) rather than the indefinite article (a).

I couldn't find a translation for "eräuget" in the third verse.  I translated it as "made visible" based partly on the word's resemblance to Augen (eye) and partly on the context, which seems to draw from Galatians 4:4:  "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law."

Usually, I would translate "wendet" as "turns," but that didn't quite fit the context here (in verse 6).  Instead, I translated it as "assigns" ("And assigns His glory to creatures!").

I couldn't find a translation for "dermaleins" in the eighth verse.  I translated it as "once" (the conjunction, not the adverb) based more on the context and to some degree on the word's constituent parts, too.

As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book.  According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Christ, unser Herr, zum J[ordan kam]."  Here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:

 

Sunday, July 14, 2024

"O heiligste Dreifaltigkeit" (#149)

German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 O heiligste Dreifaltigkeit
voll Majestät und Ehren,
wie kann doch deine Christenheit
dein Lob genug vermehren?
Du bist sehr hoch und wundersam,
ganz unbegrieflich ist dein Nam,
dein Wesen unerforschlich.

2 Wir danken dir, daß deine Gnad,
auch weil wir hie noch leben,
in deinem Worte so viel hat
uns offenbar gegeben,
daß du bist wahrer Gott und heißst:
Gott Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist,
dreifaltig und doch einig.

3 O Vater, aller Dinge Quell
und Ursprung, sei gepreiset
für alle Wunder klar und hell,
durch deine Macht erweiset;
du Vater hast vor aller Zeit
den eingen Sohn von Ewigkeit,
dein Ebenbild, gezeuget.

4 Du hast gemacht den Erdenkreis
nach deinem Wohlgefallen,
uns Menschen drauf, zu deinem Preis,
daß wir dein Lob erschallen;
auch wird durch deines Mundes Wort
dies alles immer fort und fort
erhalten und regieret.

5 Drum steh, o Vater, ferner bei
uns, deinen armen Kindern,
und alle Schulden uns verzeih,
als bußfertigen Sündern;
aus unsern Nöthen mannigfalt
errette uns und hilf uns bald,
wie du uns hast versprochen.

6 O Jesu Christe, Gottes Sohn,
von Ewigkeit geboren,
uns Menschen auch ins Himmels Thron
zum Mittler auserkoren,
durch dich geschicht, was nur geschicht,
o wahrer Gott, o wahres Licht
vom wahren Gott und Lichte!

7 Du bist des Vaters Ebenbild
und doch vom Himmel kommen;
als eben war die Zeit erfüllt,
hast du Fleisch angenommen,
hast uns erworben Gottes Huld,
bezahlet unsre Sünd und Schuld
durch dein unschuldig Leiden.

8 Nun sitzest du zur rechten Hand
des Vaters, hoch erhoben,
beherrschest alle Leut und Land
und dämpfst der Feinde Toben.
Hilf uns, o wahrer Mensch und Gott,
wir wollen dir für deinen Tod
und alle Wohlthat danken.

9 O Heilger Geist, du werthe Kron,
erleuchte unsre Sinnen,
der du vom Vater und dem Sohn
ausgehest ohn Beginnen;
du bist allmächtig und ohn End,
der Vater und der Sohn dich sendt,
im Glauben uns zu leiten.

10 Herr, du gebierest durch die Tauf
uns wiederum aufs neue,
hernacher auch nimmst du uns auf,
wenn du gibst wahre Reue;
durch dich wird unsre Hoffnung fest,
und wenn uns alle Welt verläßt,
bleibst du bei uns im Herzen.

11 Wir bitten dich demüthiglich,
daß es mag ja durchdringen,
was wir durch Seufzer oft vor dich
in unsern Nöthen bringen;
und wenn die letzte Stund da ist,
so hilf, daß wir auf Jesum Christ
getrost und selig sterben.

12 Gott Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist,
für alle Gnad und Güte
sei immerbar von uns gepreist
mit freudigem Gemüthe:
des Himmels Heer dein Lob erklingt
und heilig!  heilig!  heilig!  singt.
Das thun wir auch auf Erden.

Dr. Justus Gesenius, +1671.
My prose translation:
1 O most holy Trinity,
Full of majesty and glory,
How yet can Your Christendom
Increase Your praise enough?
You are very high and wondrous,
Quite incomprehensible is Your Name;
Your Being [is] unfathomable.

2 We thank You that Your mercy,
Even because we live here yet,
Has clearly given us
So much in Your Word,
That You are true God and are called:
God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Threefold and yet united.

3 O Father, source and origin
Of all things, be praised
For all wonders clear and bright,
Established by Your might;
You, Father, before all time
Have from eternity
Begotten the only Son, Your image.

4 You have made the earth
According to Your pleasure
[And] us people on it, for Your praise,
So that we ring out Your praise;
Also by the word of Your mouth
[You] maintain and govern
All this forever.

5 Therefore stand, O Father, with
Us, Your poor children,
And forgive us all guilt
As repentant sinners;
Out of our manifold distress
Save us and help us soon,
As You have promised us.

6 O Jesus Christ, Son of God,
From eternity begotten,
Also chosen as the Mediator
On Heaven's throne for us men,
Through You was made all that was made,
O true God, O true Light
From true God and Light!

7 You are the image of the Father
And [are] come from Heaven;
Just when the time was fulfilled,
You have taken on flesh,
Have acquired God's grace for us,
[And] paid for our sin and guilt
By Your innocent suffering.

8 Now You sit at the right hand
Of the Father, lifted up high;
[You] govern all people and lands
And subdue the raving of the foes.
Help us, O true Man and God,
We want to thank You
For Your death and all [Your] good deeds.

9 O Holy Ghost, You worthy Crown,
Enlighten our minds,
You Who from the Father and the Son
Proceed without beginning;
You are omnipotent and without end;
The Father and the Son send You
To lead us in the faith.

10 Lord, You have borne us
Again anew through baptism;
Afterwards You also take us up
When You give true repentance;
Through You, our hope becomes firm,
And when all the world leaves us,
You remain with us in [our] hearts.

11 We humbly ask You
That that which we often bring before You
Through sighs in our distresses
May indeed be passed through;
And when the last hour is there,
So help, that we die confidently and blessedly
In Jesus Christ.

12 God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
For all mercy and goodness
Be always praised by us
With a cheerful heart:
The host of Heaven sounds your praise
And sings, "Holy!  Holy!  Holy!"
We do that also on earth.

Dr. Justus Gesenius, +1671.
I had to shuffle some elements within the many of the verses to get smoother English translations.

"Erdenkreis" in the fourth verse is something like "circle of the earth," but I translated it simply as "earth."

"Ferner" in the fifth verse seems to be present merely to add some syllables to that line, so I left it out of my translation.  It means "moreover," and this seemed unnecessary since "therefore" is already in the line.  Initially, I got confused because it's similar to fern, which means distant (or further as a comparative adjective or adverb), but "stand further with us" doesn't make any sense.

I couldn't find a translation for "geschicht" in the sixth verse.  I ended up translating the whole line ("durch dich geschicht, was nur geschicht") as "Through You was made all that was made" based more on its resemblance to John 1:3 ("All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."), although there's no resemblance here with the text of my German New Testament.

A line in the seventh verse ("als eben war die Zeit erfüllt" "Just when the time was fulfilled") seems to be drawn from part of Galatians 4:4:  "Als aber die Zeit erfüllt war..." "But when the fullness of time had come...."

I translated "ausgehest" in the ninth verse as "proceed," based more on the Nicene Creed's "who proceeds from the Father and the Son" than from any suggestions my dictionary provided.

The "Holy!  Holy!  Holy!" in the twelfth verse comes from either Isaiah 6:3 or Revelation 4:8.

As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book.  According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Nun freut euch, lieben Chr[isten g'mein]."  Here's the TLH arrangement:


And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:

 

Sunday, July 7, 2024

"Mein Mund soll fröhlich" (#148)

German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Mein Mund soll fröhlich preisen,
mein Herz soll früh und spat
dem Herren Ehr beweisen,
der uns erschaffen hat,
dem billig jederzeit
sein Lob und Ruhm bei allen
ganz herrlich soll erschallen
in aller Christenheit.

2 Sein Nam an jedem Orte
ist heilig und bekannt,
mit seinem Geist und Worte
erleucht er See und Land,
erneuert uns im Geist
und reinigt uns von Sünden,
macht uns zu Gottes Kindern,
den Weg zum Himmel weist.

3 Kein Mensch das Leben hätte,
könnt auch nicht selig sein,
wanns seine Kraft nicht thäte,
sein ist die Ehr allein.
Wer nicht aus seiner Gnad
von neuem wird geboren,
muß ewig sein verloren,
kein Theil am Himmel hat.

4 Erhalt mich, Herr, im Glauben,
daß ich an deinem Leib,
wie am Weinstock die Trauben,
fruchtbar und fest bekleib.
Mein Herz, Sinn und Gemüth
erneure und regiere,
mein Zunge selbst auch führe,
also zu singen mit:

5 Ehr sei dem Vater oben
im allerhöchsten Thron,
Ehr sei mit Dank und Loben
seim allerliebsten Sohn,
Ehr sei zu aller Zeit
dem Heilgen Geist gesungen
in allen Volk und Zungen,
heut und in Ewigkeit.

Georg Weissel, +1635.
My prose translation:
1 My mouth should cheerfully praise,
My heart should early and late
Show glory to the Lord,
Who has created us;
Fairly, at all times
His praise and glory with all
Should resound quite marvellously
In all Christendom.

2 His Name in every place
Is holy and known,
With His Spirit and Word
He illumines sea and land,
Renews us in spirit
And purifies us from sin,
Makes us God's children,
Shows the way to Heaven.

3 No man would have life,
Could not be holy either
If it were not done by His strength;
His alone is the glory.
He who is not born anew
Out of His mercy
Must be lost eternally;
[He] has no part in Heaven.

4 Preserve me, Lord, in faith
So that like grapes on the vine
I take root in Your body
Fruitfully and firmly.
Renew and govern
My heart, sense, and mind;
Also lead my tongue
So that I sing along:

5 Glory be to the Father above
On the highest throne;
Glory be with thanks and praise
To His dearest Son;
Glory be sung for all time
To the Holy Ghost
By all people and tongues,
To-day and into eternity.

Georg Weissel, +1635.
"Früh und spat" ("early and late") in the first verse is a temporal merism.  Spät is purposely altered so that it rhymes with "hat" in a later line.

I'm not confident in my translation of "dem billig" as "fairly."  Usually, I would translate "billig" as cheap, but that certainly doesn't fit the context here.  My dictionary suggests "just" and "fair," but I think those are more in a commercial sense of trade or bartering.  The preceding "dem" indicates that it's in the dative case, which I can't make any sense out of.

I had to shuffle some lines in the fourth verse to get a smoother English translation.  The image of the vine is similar to that in John 15:5.

As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book.  According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Helft mir Gotts Güte pr[eisen]."  Here's the TLH arrangement: