Translation: Thauet, Himmel den Gerechten
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    Hi, everyone!

    I was wondering if someone in the forum has substantial knowledge of German. I happen to need a translation of this hymn, be the translation metrical or not.


    1. Thauet, Himmel den Gerechten!
    Wolken! regnet ihn herab!
    Also rief in langen Nächten
    Einst die Welt, ein weites Grab!
    In von Gott verfluchten Gründen
    Herrschten Satan, Tod und Sünden.
    Fest verschlossen war das Thor
    Zu des Heiles Erb’ empor.

    2. Doch der Vater ließ sich rühren,
    Daß er uns zu retten sann,
    Und den Rathschluß auszuführen
    Trug der Sohn sich freudig an.
    Gabriel flog schnell hernieder,
    Kehrte mit der Antwort wieder:
    Sieh! ich bin die Magd des Herrn,
    Was er will, erfüll’ ich gern!

    3. Dein Gehorsam ist mein Leben,
    Jungfrau demuthvoll und keusch!
    Gottes Geist wird dich beschweben,
    Und des Vaters Wort wird Fleisch.
    Menschen bethet an im Staube!
    Weh der Höll’ und ihrem Raube!
    Aber Adamskindern wohl!
    Weil ein Heiland kommen soll.

    4. Einen Zuruf hör’ ich schallen,
    Brüder wacht vom Schlummer auf!
    Denn es naht das Heil uns allen,
    Nacht ist weg, der Tag im Lauf.
    O dann fort mit allen Thaten,
    Die die Nacht zur Mutter hatten!
    Künftig ziehe jedermann
    Nur des Lichtes Waffen an!

    5. Lasst uns wie am Tage wandeln,
    Nicht in Fraß und Trunkenheit!
    nicht nach Fleischbegierden handeln,
    Weit verbannt sey Zank und Neid!
    Jenem gänzlich nachzuarten,
    Dessen Ankunft wir erwarten,
    Dieses ist nun unsre Pflicht;
    So wie sein Apostel spricht.

    6. Welterlöser, ich erfülle
    deines treuen Knechtes Rath,
    Komm in meines Fleisches Hülle!
    Wie dein Both verkündet hat.
    Komm und bringe mir den Frieden!
    Menschen ist er nur beschieden,
    Die von gutem Willen sind,
    Komm! ich bin es göttlichs Kind!


    Please, please, I really need the translation for a hymnal.

    Thanks!
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    I am German, but I need a bit of time to find appropriate english words, since English is not my native tongue.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,199
    I am not German, and my abilities at translation have diminished over the years, but this is a hymn that, to some extent, paraphrases the Introit "Rorate caeli desuper" for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    1. Drop down, ye Heavens, the Just!
    Clouds, let rain him down!
    So in long nights once cried
    the world, a wide grave!
    In grounds cursed by God
    Satan, death and sins reigned.
    Tightly locked was the door
    that lead up to the heir of Salvation.

    2. But the Father was moved,
    so he planned to save us,
    and to fulfil the plan
    the Son joyfully applied.
    Gabriel quickly flew down,
    returning with the answer:
    Behold! I am the handmaid of the Lord,
    what he wants, I will do gladly!

    3. Your obedience is my life,
    O virgin humble and chaste!
    The Spirit of God will descend on you,
    and the Fathers word was made flesh.
    Humans, adore in the dust!
    Woe the hell and its loot!
    But for Adam's children good,
    because a saviour shall come.

    4. I heard a cry,
    rise from sleep, brethren!
    Because the salvation is nearing us all,
    Night is gone, the day has broken.
    Away with all the doings,
    whose mother the night was!
    Henceforth everybody may be armoured
    only with the weapons of light!

    5. Let us wander as on day,
    not in gluttony and drunkenness,
    not act according to the will of flesh,
    far be banned strike and envy!
    To imitate totally the one,
    whose advent we await,
    is our deed;
    so says his apostle.

    6. Redeemer of the world, I fulfil
    your faithful servant's advice,
    come in my carnal envelope,
    as your herald announced.
    Come und bring me peace!
    It is only granted to humans,
    who are of good will.
    Come! I am, godly child!

    I cannot guarantee, that everything is correctly translated, because I relied on google translator for some words (e.g. gluttony and drunkenness, words you are not likely to encounter in a textbook).
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen aldrich
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    1. Dew the Just One down from Heaven,
    Clouds, let Him rain from above;
    So the world cried out in longest
    night, a wide abyss.
    On the land which God had cursed
    Satan, Death, and sin all reigned,
    For the gate was firmly closed
    To salvation's heritage.

    2. Yet the Father let Himself be touched
    and so bethink to save us,
    And to fulfill his resolution
    the Son joined in with joy.
    Gabriel flew swiftly down,
    returned then with the answer:
    See! I am the servant of the Lord,
    What he has willed, I shall fulfill!

    3. Your obedience is my life,
    O maiden meek and humble,
    God's Spirit will o'ershadow you,
    the Father's Word becomes flesh.
    Adore, o men, in your dust!
    Woe to Hell and its thievery!
    But: Well to Adam's children!
    A Savior is to come.

    4. I hear a summons sounding,
    brothers, waken from your sleep!
    For salvation's drawing nearer,
    night is gone and day is underway!
    So away with all the deeds
    whose mother is the night.
    Let each man dress himself
    with weapons of the light!

    5. Let us walk as in the daylight,
    Not in gluttony and drunkenness!
    Not according to the desires of the flesh,
    Banished be quarreling and envy!
    Imitate Him fully,
    Whose coming we await,
    This is now our duty,
    As His Apostles say.

    6. Redeemer of the world, I'm fulfilling
    the word of your true servant,
    come into the space in my flesh
    as your message has announced.
    Come and bring me peace!
    He is only conferred on men
    who are of good will.
    Such am I, divine child, so come!
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen aldrich
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    Protasius, chonak, thank you very much! I will use both of your translations to write a metered English version of this Advent hymn.
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    Here's the metered English I have.

    Heavens, now drop ye the Just One,
    and, ye clouds, Him rain abroad;
    wept the world in long nights now gone,
    pining as a grave so broad.
    Sway on land by God forsaken
    Satan, death, and sin have taken,
    thus the gates were fasten’d best
    to redemption’s true bequest.

    Yet the Father, with compassion,
    thus to save us thought He yon:
    to accomplish our salvation,
    gladsome did submit the Son.
    Gabriel down came message bringing
    and return’d with answer ringing:
    “Our Lord’s handmaid, lo!, am I
    that He will’th obey shall I!”

    Thine obedience is my life, lo!,
    Virgin pure, thou humble Maid,
    thee God’s Spirit shall o’ershadow,
    flesh the Father’s Word be made.
    Men, adore ‘midst dust so powdered!
    Woe to Hell, whose lust hath plundered!
    Good to Adam’s offspring be!
    Lord and Saviour, shall come He!

    Summons hear I loudly booming,
    rise now, brethren, ye awake!
    Our salvation nigh is looming:
    night is gone, the day shall break!
    So those deeds purge from your likeness,
    deeds born of the night-time darkness
    let each soul put on with right,
    his new armour of the light!

    Let us as in daylight wander,
    fare and drink, from them fast we!
    After not the fleshly hanker,
    banished rows and envy be!
    For completely imitating
    Him Whose advent we’re awaiting,
    is our duty now, our way,
    so His great Apostles say.

    World’s Redeemer, I’m fulfilling
    what Thy servant hath pronounced,
    to my empty flesh be filling,
    as Thy herald hath announced.
    Come and bring me peace so wanted
    which alone to men is granted,
    men of good will, from on high:
    Godly Child, come, such am I!

    Critique away.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    1. I'm impressed generally by the deftness of the language use.

    2. Some of the text strikes me as working for poetry but not hymnody. For example, "Thine obedience is my life, lo!" sounds great in an English Romantic ode, but seems rather odd for sung prayer. Similarly some of the other grammatical reversals and "vintage" language: "fare and drink from them fast we", "thus to save us thought he yon", "dust so powdered."

    3. The last half of the last verse needs a lot of work. "Wanted" and "granted" don't rhyme (you did that several times throughout, actually). The prepenultimate (third from last, heh heh) line strongly suggests that God's salvation is for men only. Even if you are okay with male-as-normative language (most here are, and clearly you are), separating out the "men of good will" the way you did leaves "alone" with nothing to exclude except "women." In the original, "alone/only" (nur) refers to people "of good will" excluding not females but rather anyone not of good will. Your version places the exclusion soley on the concept of "men" which either excludes women (how I took it) or (potentially) non-humans (which is probably accurate, but really weird). Further, the penultimate line seems to further specify what sort of men the peace being granted to: men of will, from on high. It sounds like not only do you have to be a male to get peace, you also have to be of good will, and have been born on a mountain or something. The overall effect is very weird. I understand that "from on high" refers back to the source of the peace, but that is not clear from your grammar.

    4. I had to go back and look at both the German and the two prose translations to figure out that the last line was saying, "I am such a mountain-top born man of good will, so come on down." By placing "such am I" at the end, I have to think/look back to what "such" refers to. "Godly?" No that can't be right. "From on high?" Nope. "Men of good will." Right then. It's a weak and confusing way to conclude a hymn (you don't want to leave people puzzled). Further, it makes the very last clause of the text about the singer, rather than about the Divine Child.

    5. Because of issues like the above, the whole things seems a bit labored and too clever. Poetry can be clever. Hymn/song lyrics need to be more transparent.
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    Actually, "from on high" is a displaced adjectival phrase for "peace," sort of hyperbaton in English (I'm fooling myself; hyperbaton does not work well with minimally inflectional languages). Okay will "mankind" be more inclusive than "men"?

    Keep the comments coming.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Mankind is not more inclusive than men.
    You may care, or may not (I do, but it isn't my hymn).

    The bigger issue is that the exclusion ("alone") is supposed to be specifying "[people/men] of good will," not [people/humanity/men/mankind] the species.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    It's a very difficult text to fit into the meter without paraphrase.
    I'd be willing to work on a full metrical version if I could do it in LM.

    Here is the last verse, with some (okay, maybe a lot) of poetic license...


    Come, Redeemer, I am willing
    to Thy faithful servant be,
    Mary's promise thus fulfilling,
    in my flesh to carry Thee.
    Godly hearts for you are waiting,
    peace to bring and sin abating,
    I will wait with them and sing,
    Come my Savior, Come my King.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Any info on the hymn? Tune? Source?
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    The original German lyrics were written by a Jesuit priest, and the original melody composed by a Recollect friar three years after the publication of the lyrics. There is another tune by Christoph Muhlthaler.
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