Translation of Wünderschön Prächtige
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,011
    This German Marienlied has always been a kind of holy grail for me. It seems to defy adequate rendering in English. Tell me what you think of this attempt:

    "1. Beautiful, glorious,
    lofty, victorious,
    Heavenly Mother most splendid, most blest:
    So long as life is mine,
    my heart is ever thine,
    Body and soul in thy care I will rest;
    Life, goods, and family
    I offer willingly:
    All that I ever shall have or shall be,
    With joy I consecrate, Mary, to thee.

    2. Sunlight shines all around
    thee, whom the stars have crowned,
    our light and comfort in darkness of night:
    Thou who wert well-prepared,
    Whom God's own Hand had spared,
    Saved from corruption by merciful might:
    Blest Gate through whom the Word,
    Jesus, thy Son, Our Lord,
    Passed when, forsaking His heavenly Throne,
    He brought salvation and grace to His own.

    3. Sinless and chosen one,
    Worthy to bear the Son,
    Thou art God's Daughter and Mother and Bride
    Virgin of virgins best,
    Fairer than all the rest,
    God-fashioned Temple where He could reside:
    Thou heaven's perfect Rose,
    That no corruption knows,
    Crown of creation and glory above,
    Whom earth and heaven surround with their love."

    -trans. smc, (c) 2021
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 993
    For those who don’t know the hymn Wunderschön Prächtige:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s82boW1q44Q

    There are different text versions of this 17th century hymn. See wikipedia for one by Johannes von Geissel (1842) and one by Heinrich Bone (1847), both with five stanzas.

    Your source text seems to be: 1. Geissel (1) – 2. Bone (2) – 3. Geissel (2)
  • davido
    Posts: 921
    This is the sort of powerful tune and text that makes you proud to be Catholic, makes me want to stand up and sing along boisterously!
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis
  • madorganist
    Posts: 906
    Nice work! There is an English version in the 1920 Catholic Hymnal by Fr. John Hacker, S.J., p. 220, no. 176:
    https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=jklGAAAAYAAJ
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 546
    Agreed! Here is one of my favorite videos – Dr. Wolfgang Seifert accompanying in his magnificent way at Himmerod. https://youtu.be/0lRRa6V4YoA
  • madorganist
    Posts: 906
    Gotta love the smiles at the camera around 2:30 and 3:30! Pity some of those 19th-century German Catholic hymns aren't better known and loved in the Anglosphere - they're great! Drischner wrote a set of organ variations:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPlh8JFF0gM
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,011
    Here's a recording of this new translation my TLM choir made tonight.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • davido
    Posts: 921
    Beautiful recording, Nihil. Do you have a score you could share?
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,011
    On my work computer. Will try to post tomorrow.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,011
    Here's the beginnings / trial balloon of the book of Marian hymns I'm making for my parish. Warning: engraving done by MS Paint with existing melodies, because time. This is hymn number 3.

    But, it's usable, if you can harmonize.
    Thanked by 2Elmar tandrews
  • Elmar
    Posts: 505
    Wow! Pfarrgemeinde Maria Hilfe der Christen Feeling home instantly...

    A few minor things I foud:
    - in the table of contents "Wunderschön Prächtige" has one umlaut too many;
    - in no.5 5th staff, 1st bar, 2nd beat shouldnt that be a-natural? (rather than flat)
    - in no.6 if verse 5 "Immaculate Queen" has capitals, then so should "Virgin Mother" in verse 10.
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,177
    I'm rather struck (confused? uncomfortable?) by the way the tune for "O Queen of the Holy Rosary" strays from ELLACOMBE at "While from our Father's garden," - which I've only found in one instance - all the other settings to ELLACOMBE give the more familiar (to me, and probably to most people) reading of the melody.
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,011
    I reiterate that the real book, will have new typesetting. These MS Paint Editions are cribbed from the internet, retexted (or not) placeholders.

    I didn't touch that strange version of ELLACOMBE. It will be fixed.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen