1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,voll Gnad und Wahrheit von dem Herrn,du süße Wurzel Jesse;du Sohn Davids aus Jakobs Stamm,mein König und mein Bräutigam,hast mir mein Herz besessen,lieblich,freundlich,schön und herrlich,groß und ehrlich,reich von Gaben,hoch und sehr prächtig erhaben.2 Ei mein Perle, du werthe Kron,wahr Gottes- und Mariensohn,ein hochgeborner König,mein Herz heißt dich ein Lilium,dein süßes Evangeliumist lauter Milch und Honig.Ei meinBlümlein,Hosianna,himmlisch Manna,das wir essen,deiner kann ich nicht vergessen.3 Geuß sehr tief in mein Herz hinein,du heller Jaspis und Rubein,die Flamme deiner Liebeund erfreu mich, daß ich doch blieban deinem auserwählten Leibein lebendige Rippe.Nach dirist mir,gratiosacoeli rosa,*krank und glimmetmein Herz, durch Liebe verwundet.4 Von Gott kommt mir ein Freudenschein,wenn du mit deinen Aeugeleinmich freundlich thust anblicken.O Herr Jesu, mein trautes Gut,dein Wort, dein Geist, dein Leib und Blutmich innerlich erquicken.Nimm michfreundlichin dein Arme,daß ich warmewerd von Gnaden.Auf dein Wort komm ich geladen.5 Herr Gott Vater, mein starker Held,du hast mich ewig vor der Weltin deinem Sohn geliebet.Dein Sohn hat mich ihm selbst vertraut,er ist mein Schatz, ich bin sein Braut,sehr hoch in ihm erfreuet.Eya,eya,himmlisch Lebenwird er gebenmir dort oben;ewig soll mein Herz ihn loben.6 Zwingt die Saiten in Citharaund laßt die süße Musikaganz freudenreich erschallen,daß ich möge mit Jesulein,dem wunderschönen Bräutgam mein,in steter Liebe wallen.Singet,springet,jubiliret,triumphiret,dankt dem Herren;groß ist der König der Ehren.7 +) Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh,daß mein Schatz ist das A und O,der Anfang und das Ende;er wird mich doch zu seinem Preisaufnehmen in das Paradeis,des klopf ich in die Hände.Amen,Amen!
Komm, du schöneFreudenkrone,bleib nicht lange,deiner wart ich mit Verlangen.Dr. Philipp Nicolai, 1597.*) D.h. angenehme Himmelsrose+) Die Anfangsbuchstaben jedes Verses bilden den Namen : Wilhelm Ernst, Graf und Herr zu Waldeck.
My prose translation:
1 How beautifully the Morning Star shines,Full of mercy and truth from the Lord,You sweet Root of Jesse;You Son of David from Jacob's line,My King and my Bridegroom,Have possessed my heart,Lovely,Friendly,Beautiful and marvelous,Great and honest,Rich in gifts,High and very magnificently elevated.2 O my Pearl, You worthy Crown,True Son of God and of Mary,A high-born King,My heart calls You a Lily;Your sweet GospelIs pure milk and honey.O myLittle flower,Hosanna,Heavenly Manna,Which we eat,I cannot forget You.3 Pour very deeply into my heart,You bright Jasper and Ruby,The flame of Your loveAnd gladden me that I yet remainA living rib in Your chosen body.According to You,It is for meA favorableRose of Heaven,*My heart is sick and smoulders,Wounded by love.4 From God, a light of joy comes to meWhen You with Your little eyeLook upon me friendly.O Lord Jesus, my faithful Good,Your Word, Your Spirit, Your body and bloodRevive me inwardly.Take meFriendlyIn Your armsSo that IBecome warm with mercy.I come invited upon Your Word.5 Lord God Father, my strong Champion,Eternally, before the world, You haveLoved me in Your Son.Your Son Himself has believed in me;He is my treasure; I am His bride,Very highly delighted in Him.Eya,eya,Heavenly lifeWill He giveTo me there above;My heart should praise Him eternally.6 Play the strings of the lyreAnd let the sweet music resound completely joyfullySo that I may with Jesus,My wonderful Bridegroom,Surge in constant love.Sing;Jump;Rejoice;Triumph;Thank the Lord;The King of glory is great.7 Indeed, I am so heartily happyThat my Treasure is the A and O,The Beginning and the End;To His praise He will yetTake me up into paradise;Therefore, I clap my hands.Amen,Amen!Come, You beautifulCrown of peace;Do not stay long;I await You with longing.Dr. Philipp Nicolai, 1597.*) That is, A pleasant rose of Heaven+) The initial letters of each verse form the name : Wilhelm Ernst, Graf und Herr zu Waldeck.
The first verse contains allusions to Revelation 22:16 (Morning Star), John 1:14 (the line "Full of mercy and truth from the Lord"), and Isaiah 11:1 (Root of Jesse); the second to Song of Solomon 2:1 (Lily), Exodus 3:8 and subsequent passages ("milk and honey"), and Exodus 16 (Manna); the sixth to Psalm 24:8, 10 (the title "King of glory"); and the seventh to Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13 (the Beginning and End).
In the formatting of the Gesangbuch, even the type font changes from the traditional Gothic style for the Latin phrase "gratiosa coeli rosa" in the third verse.
I'm not completely confident in my translation of "trautes" as "faithful" in the fourth verse.
This hymn appears as "How Lovely Shines the Morning Star" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#343) and as "O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright" in Lutheran Worship (#73) and The Lutheran Service Book (#395). If I'm not mistaken, the LW and LSB versions both omit the second verse of the above, and the LW version definitely flips the sixth and seventh verses (so that they become the sixth and fifth verses). In all of these hymnals, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own tune." Here's the TLH arrangement (transposed from Eb major to F major):
And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch:
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Administrative note: I've been having trouble maintaining a weekly schedule. I try to translate a verse a day, but lately, I haven't had the time or energy. Additionally, many of these hymns contain more than seven verses, so I fall further and further behind. I'm going to keep working on the project as I'm able and simply back-date posts to maintain continuity. Hopefully, I'll catch up eventually.