Loking for singable translation of Easterhymn about "Haec dies"
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    Dear pundits,

    as most here will be familiar with English hymn books, I guess that someone can help me finding a singable translation of the attached hymn that is based on the Easter gradual "haec dies", but then adds a reference to Easter in the second stanza (not given here). Ideally, the translation is in the public domain so that it may be freely used.

    Is it in some of your hymn books?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 8,973
    Here's more of the hymn, from the Gotteslob hymnal (note: stanzas 3 and 4 were added in 1975, so they are under copyright):
    image

    I checked the Hymnary site, but it has only a few hymns by Heinrich Bone, and unfortunately not this one or a translation of it:
    https://hymnary.org/person/Bone_Heinrich
    das-ist-der-tag.jpg
    600 x 888 - 127K
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Xopheros
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 8,973
    Here's a weak adaptation into English of the original verses:

    1. This is the day that God has made,
    rejoice, let all be unafraid!
    Be glad! Let us acclaim as one
    the wonders that the Lord has done.

    2. The light sweeps sorrow all away,
    the dark of death is turned to day;
    In pow'r divine arose the Lord
    who to our souls new life outpoured. [see? I said this wasn't very good]

    5. Then sing the Lord new songs of praise,
    of peace and joy for all our days;
    Be glad! Let us acclaim as one
    the wonders that the Lord has done.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen Xopheros Liam veromary ServiamScores
  • Here's a routine reminder: Avoid flames: critique principles, not people. Be discriminating but don't nitpick. Be academic not acerbic. Be principled not polemical.
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    @chonak Yes, the Gotteslob was my source, too. Due to copyright restrictions, it is only allowed to translate the first three stanzas, but, for my purposes, I actually only need two stanzas.

    Thanks for the first draft of a translation, which I have combined with Isaak Watts metrical version of Psalm 118 into the following:

    1. This is the day the Lord has made
    Let heav'n rejoice, let earth be glad.
    Exult and marvel everyone
    At wonders that the Lord has done.

    2. The Lord sweeps sorrow all away,
    The night of death is turned to day.
    Today the saints his triumphs spread,
    Because he rose and left the dead,

    Two requests: a) As a non-native speaker, I possibly overlook some incorrect use of English. Can someone please proofcheck this? b) @chonak: I have used two of your verses. Would you please allow me to use them in a text underlay under a motet (which not yet has been written...)? To whom may I give credit?
    Thanked by 2Liam veromary
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 8,973
    If I understand the attribution in Gotteslob, stanza 5 is part of the original text, so you can include material from that in the motet also if it is useful. (St. 3 and 4 are by Dörr.)

    I don't think there are any actual errors of grammar or usage, but here are some other notes.

    Some of Watts' phrases seem awkward now: "he ... left the dead" is one. It's a rather blunt phrase on which to end the work. Also, it may be ambiguous doctrinally. In one sense it's true: Christ is no longer dead; but in another sense, it doesn't seem quite right. Christ didn't exactly leave the dead behind unchanged: e.g., there is the mysterious event described in Matthew 27:52-53 of holy people rising from their tombs "after his resurrection".

    If you do keep that line, it might be helpful to begin it: "For he arose...." instead of "Because he rose..."

    Also in stanza 2, another bit of text from Watts: placing the words "triumphs" and "spread" next to each other creates a cluster of at least five consonant sounds, which is not really singable in English. Maybe Czechs could sing it. :-) I love Watts, but this phrase of his was not ideal.

    One thing that impressed me about stanza 2 in the Urtext was the repeated allusion to light: verklärt and erhellt. I tried to preserve the prominence of this concept in my draft version, but it seems you've let it go.

    Feel free to use excerpts from my draft above. Here's an attribution statement to include, if you publish it:

    A draft translation by Richard Chonak © 2025 is licensed under CC BY 4.0. For details, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Xopheros
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    @chonak Thanks for the insightful observations. I understand that it is unsatisfactory to end the text with this verse, which is somewhat below the otherwise high standard of the respectable Isaak Watts.

    Concerning the light metaphor, I prefer the dichotomy night vs. day to light vs. day, but it is a good idea to take up this metaphor again in the very last verse. Here is my suggestion for the last two verses, which are hopefully in fluent and correct English:

    The Lord arose in godly might
    Has turned the darkness into light.

    And thanks for the permission to put the text under the CC-BY license, which wil then carry the attribution of three authors, Watts (who can no longer contradict ;-), you, and me.
    Thanked by 1Liam
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 8,973
    Better: "And turned..." or "He turned..."
    Thanked by 4Liam Xopheros CHGiffen CGM
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 8,973
    Just an idea for another way to recycle this hymn: one could take stanzas 1, 2, and 5 above - twelve lines of text - and present them as two stanzas of six lines each, set to a tune for 88.88.88, such as MELITA.

  • CGM
    Posts: 732
    Also,
    1. This is the day the Lord has made
    Let heav'n rejoice, let earth be glad.

    "made" and "glad" don't really rhyme.

    How about

    This is the day the Lord has made.
    Rejoice! Be glad! Be not afraid!

    or

    This is the day the Lord has made.
    Let us rejoice and sing today.
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    @CGM Yes, there is still room for improvement. The two verses with the "rhyme" made - glad were originally by Watts, though, which IMO is some justification to keep them. Unfortunately, all other metric psalters that I have checked use the rhyming scheme ABCB and thus do not need to (and do not) find a rhyme for made.
  • CGM
    Posts: 732
    BTW, one of my choirs sang your Magnificat on the 7th tone a couple times last fall and enjoyed it. Thank you for that piece!
    Thanked by 1Xopheros
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    @CGM Thank you very much for the kind feedback which I am glad to hear. The choir that commissioned this Magnificat & Nunc dimittis had the unusual requirement that the entire piece must be easily learnt within half an hour, which was the preparation time they usually had for a service. This precluded more elaborate polyphonic sections and copious musical interpretations of the text like in my latest Magnificat setting.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    Eventually I have found a facsimile of the original text by Bone and noticed, to my surprise, that only the first two lines actually are by Bone.

    I therefore abandoned my original plan of using the second stanza for a final part and have chosen a different approach that preserves the original structure of the gradual "Haec dies". The repeat of the antiphon "Haec dies" is overlaid with the cantus firmus, for which I only use one stanza selected from the original text. Here is the result; the cantus firmus enters on p. 2).

    Unfortunately, this means that another translation of the new two verses is needed. Here is my try:

    Drum lasst uns singen allbereit / Von dieses Festes Herrlichkeit.
    Let us exult, and sing, and praise / The glory of this day of days.


    I would greatly appreciate comments whether this sounds naturally in English or what could be improved.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • CGM
    Posts: 732
    How about
    Let us exult and sing our praise
    Throughout this glorious day of days.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 211
    Let us exult and sing our praise
    Upon this glorious day of days.
    Thanked by 1Xopheros
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,862
    Praise what? "The glory of…"
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    From the comments, I conclude that a threefold enumeration combined with two "and"s is unusual and difficult to comprehend. The suggestion by @CGM drops the target for the praise, to which -I think- the remark by Richard Mix refers (sorry, did not figure out how to tag a user with a space in his user name).

    I very much like the suggestion by @Roborgelmeister because it is very close to the original Latin text ("exsultemus et laetemur in ea"), which is sung in my motet in shorter note values simultaneously with the slowly moving cantus firmus. I will contact you in a private message how to possibly give credit to your help.

    Edit: And here is the resulting English edition.
  • CGM
    Posts: 732
    Having seen the score (what an ingenious little composition!), I'd suggest a different translation for the last couple of lines, to match better the downbeats in the cantus firmus:
    So let us all extol and praise
    The glory of this day of days.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Richard Mix Xopheros
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    @CGM Thanks for the kind remark on the composition and for the suggestion for improvement. It is indeed preferrable to stress "let" instead of "us". There is only a slight concern that I have with respect to replacing "exult" with "extol", a word that is new to me. AFAIK, both are stressed on the last syllable and "exult" is intransitive, whereas "extol" is transitive. My concern is that "exult" is literally used in the Latin original and that "extol" is a word not known to most non-native English speakers. Is it nevertheess better to use "extol" in this context?
  • CGM
    Posts: 732
    I ran the German through Google translate, which gave
    Therefore let us all sing / of the glory of this festival.

    I realized that this is what Richard Mix meant in his earlier comment:
    That we are singing the praise OF the glory of the Paschal Feast.

    The word "extol" is indeed a transitive verb, meaning "to laud or praise [something] greatly,"
    while the word "exult" is an intransitive verb, meaning "to show or feel a triumphant joy."

    It seems to me that "extol" is a more suitable choice here because it matches the German:
    that we are praising the glory of Easter.
    "Let us extol and praise the glory" means "let us praise and praise further the glory,"
    whereas "Let us exult" is a standalone clause meaning "we feel triumphant joy," not connected to the "glory" that follows a couple words later. In a sense, "let us exult" focuses on our joy, while "let us praise the glory" focuses away from us and instead onto what we're praising.

    With all that in mind, I think that "yes," it is better to use "extol" in this context.
    Thanked by 1Xopheros
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 32
    @CGM Thanks for the detailed explanations, which make perfect sense to me. I have updated the edition.

    And thanks to all others, too, who have contributed in one way or the other to the translation. What a helpful community here!
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 752
    There is a Haec Dies that the Choir of St. Mary's in Akron, Ohio would sing and there are English words under the Latin text, I don't think it's a translation but it is certainly singable. The music was composed by Decio Monti, in 1893.
    HaecDies-Monti1893.pdf
    362K
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