Nous voulons Dieu, singable English translation
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,021
    From the French, selected verses (the ones that are applicable in setting of the modern USA, where there's not the sense of the Catholic Kingdom That Once Was), if it's of interest to anybody!

    It was dratted difficult to fit precise ideas to the melody in natural English, so this is a very loose translation prioritizing beauty and poetry over literal sense.
    Nous voulons Dieu corrected.pdf
    493K
  • Quite nice. I've sung it before in French (back in the mid 1990s), and knew people that have sung it in Portuguese, but I've never seen it in English before.
    BMP
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    Fr. Krisman wrote an English translation to publish with the Spanish version of the song:
    https://hymnary.org/hymn/OC2013/476
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen cesarfranck
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,021
    Surprisingly different texts!
  • Felicia
    Posts: 116
    @NihilNominis,

    Yes, indeed. I've been curious for a long time how F. X. Moreau's tune became wedded to the Spanish hymn, which is quite popular among Spanish-speaking people (at least in the places where I've lived).
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis
  • Chrism
    Posts: 872
    Much different from "We Stand for God" (youtube), a very loose translation by an Irish Dominican sung here famously by Frank Patterson. I think I like your version better!
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis
  • This also very popular among the Polish people.

    (score)
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  • GerardH
    Posts: 461
    I am used to the version available here (search for "We long for God" to find it on the page). The text on this page is full of errors, so the corrected and punctuated text should be something like:
    We long for God, O Virgin Mary
    Incline thine ear unto our prayers.
    We now implore thee, Mother of Mercy,
    O grant thy children's hearts desire.

    Bless us, O Bless us, Mother,
    List' to our cry of faith;
    We long for God, he is our Father,
    We long for God, he is our King,
    We long for God, he is our Father,
    We long for God, he is our King.

    We long for God: may all our dear ones
    Possess his love in heart and home,
    With daughters pure and sons courageous,
    All hearts on fire with love for him.

    "implore thee" necessitates singing two syllables on one note.

    EDIT: Another text sung around here to the same melody.
    Thanked by 1NihilNominis