Harmonic Splendor Text Translations

Texts and Translations
Warum?
Why?
Warum doch erschallen
himmelwärts die Lieder?
Zögen gerne nieder Sterne,
die droben blinken und wallen,
zögen sich Lunas lieblich Umarmen,
zögen die warmen, wonnigen Tage
seliger Götter gern uns herab!
Why then do songs resonate
Ever up towards heaven?
They would draw down the stars
That twinkle and sparkle above;
Or Luna’s lovely embrace;
Or the warm, blissful days
Of the blessed gods towards us!
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Translation from cpdl.org
The Ordinary of the Latin Mass
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te. Glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.
Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus.
Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe.
Cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris.
Amen.
Glory be to God on high.
And on earth peace, good will to all people.
We praise Thee. We bless Thee.
We worship Thee. We glorify Thee.
We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have
mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the
world, receive our prayer.
Who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy
upon us. For Thou only art holy. Thou only art the
Lord. Thou only art the most high, Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Ghost, in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem coeli et terrae,
visibilium omnium, et invisibilium.
Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
Filium Dei unigenitum.
Et ex Patre natum ante omina saecula.
Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Deum verum de Deo vero.
Genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri:
per quem omnia facta sunt.
Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem
descendit de coelis.
Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto
ex Maria Virgine; et homo factus est.
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God.
Begotten of his Father before all worlds.
God of God, light of light,
very God of very God.
Begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father:
by whom all things were made.
Who for us, and for our salvation
came down from heaven.
And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the Virgin Mary; and was made man.
Crucifixus etiam pro nobis;
He was crucified for us;
sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est.
under Pontius Pilate, he suffered and was buried.
Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas.
He rose again on the third day, according to the
Et ascendit in coelum;
Scriptures. And ascended into heaven;
sedet ad dexteram Patris.
and sitteth at the right hand of the Father.
Et iterum venturus est cum gloria,
And He shall come again in glory,
judicare vivos et mortuos:
to judge the living and the dead:
cujus regni non erit finis.
Whose Kingdom shall have no end.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem:
And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life,
qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio who proceedeth from the Father and the Son.
simul adoratur, et conglorificatur;
Who with the Father and the Son together is
qui locutus est per prophetas.
worshipped and glorified: who spake by the prophets.
Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. And in one holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Confiteor unum baptisma
I acknowledge one Baptism
in remissionem peccatorum.
for the remission of sins.
Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum.
And I look for the Resurrection of the dead. And the
Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.
Life of the world to come. Amen.
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth. Heaven and
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Osanna in excelsis. earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Benedictus qui venit in nominee Domini.
Osanna in excelsis.
Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona nobis pacem.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us. O Lamb of God, that takest away
the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O Lamb of
God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us
Thy peace.
Trost
Comfort
Es ist kein Weh auf Erden so heiß, so laut, so wild,
Die Sühne soll ihm werden, sei still, so wird's gestillt!
There is no pain on earth so sharp, so loud, so wild,
That is not atoned for—be still, and it will be stilled!
Und ist kein Tod vorhanden; Was Liebes du begräbst,
Gleich ist's dir auferstanden, Wie du nur treu ihm lebst.
And death is not present on earth—the love that you have
buried is resurrected at once, as long as you remain faithful.
Auch gibt's kein wirklich Scheiden, Der Trennung öden
Schmerz, du brauchst ihn nie zu leiden, bleib nah nur Herz
an Herz!
And neither is there parting on earth, the desolate pain of
separation,you never need to suffer that, stay close to
each other—heart to heart!
In ihres Mantels Falten trägt Gottes Lieb die Welt,
Wer sich von ihr läßt halten, den sie gar treulich hält.
In the folds of its raiment, the love of God bears the
world, whoever surrenders to God’s love,
Will be faithfully held.
-Anton Müller
Trans. Richard Stokes, from Hyperion CDA67762
Ave Maria
Hail Mary
Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus.
Sancta Maria mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and
at the hour of our death.
O schöne Nacht
Oh Beautiful Night!
O schöne Nacht
am Himmel märchenhaft erglänzt der Mond
in seiner ganzen Pracht;
Um ihn der kleinen Sterne liebliche Genossenschaft.
O schöne Nacht!
Es schimmert hell der Tau am grünen Halm;
Mit Macht im Fliederbusche schlägt die Nachtigall.
Der Knabe schleicht zu seiner Liebsten sacht.
O schöne Nacht!
Oh beautiful night!
In the magical sky,the moon shines in its full splendor;
-Georg Friedrich Daumer
Trans. L.W.
Der Gang zum Liebchen
The Walk to the Beloved
Es glänzt der Mond nieder, ich sollte doch wieder
Zu meinem Liebchen, wie mag es ihr geh'n?
Ach weh', sie verzaget und klaget, und klaget,
Dass sie mich nimmer im Leben wird seh'n.
The moon shines down; I really should return
To my beloved. How is it for her?
Alas, she depairs and laments and laments
That she will never see me in this life again.
Es ging der Mond unter, ich eilte doch munter,
Und eilte dass keiner mein Liebchen entführt.
Ihr Täubchen, o girret, ihr Lüftchen, o schwirret,
Dass keiner mein Liebchen, mein Liebchen entführt.
The moon sinks down, I hurry quickly away,
Hurrying so that no one will steal my beloved away.
O coo, little doves, and whir, you gentle breezes,
So that no one will steal my beloved away.
-Bohemian
Trans. L.W.
Abendlied
Evening Song
Friedlich bekämpfen Nacht sich und Tag;
wie das zu dämpfen, wie das zu lösen vermag!
In peaceful struggle night struggles with the day.
What ability it has to soften, what ability it has to relieve!
Der mich bedrückte, schläfst du schon, Schmerz?
Was mich beglückte, was war's doch, mein Herz?
Sorrow that oppresses me, are you already asleep?
That which made me happy—say, my heart, what was it?
Freude wie Kummer, fühl ich, zerran,
aber den Schlummer führten sie leise heran.
Joy, like grief, I feel melt away,
But they quietly bring me slumber as they fade away.
Und im Entschweben, immer empor,
kommt mir das Leben
ganz wie ein Schlummerlied vor.
And in the floating away, ever upward,
My entire life passes before me like a lullaby.
- Friedrich Hebbel
And around it, the stars are pleasant company.
Oh beautiful night!
Dew glistens brightly on the green stems;
In the lilac bush, the nightingale sings with full voice.
The young lad steals quietly away to his love.
O beautiful night!
Trans. L.W.
Ständchen
Serenade
Zögernd leise, in des Dunkels nächt'ger Hülle,
Sind wir hier;
Und den Finger sanft gekrümmt, leise, leise,
Pochen wir an des Liebchens Kammertür.
Hesitantly, quietly, in the silence of the night,
We are here.
And with fingers gently curled, softly, softly,
We knock on the beloved's chamber door.
Doch nun steigend, schwellend, schwellend, hebend,
mit vereinter Stimme laut,
Rufen aus wir hochvertraut:
Schlaf du nicht, wenn der Neigung Stimme spricht!
But now growing, swelling, rising,
as one loud voice together,
we call with one accord:
Sleep no more, when the voice of longing speaks!
Sucht' ein Weiser nah und ferne
Menschen einst mit der Laterne;
Wieviel seltner dann als Gold
Menschen, uns geneigt und hold?
Drum, wenn Freundschaft, Liebe spricht:
Freundin, Liebchen, schlaf du nicht!
Once a wise man went out looking,
Good men with his lantern seeking,
How much rarer than the finest gold
Is a kind of loving friend.
So when friendship or love is speaks,
O beloved, do not sleep!
Aber was in allen Reichen
Wär' dem Schlummer zu vergleichen?
Drum statt Worten und statt Gaben
Sollst du nun auch Ruhe haben.
But what treasure of all treasures
Can compare with sleep's great pleasures?
So instead of words and gifts,
You must now have rest.
Noch ein Grüßchen, noch ein Wort,
Es verstummt dir frohe Weise,
Leise, leise, schleichen wir uns wieder fort!
Just one greeting, just one word,
And the joyful song is over:
Softly, softly now we end our serenade.
-Franz Grillparzer
Trans. Jean Lunn
Abendlied
Evening Song (Luke 24, 29)
Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden,
und der Tag hat sich geneiget.
Stay with us, for it is becoming evening,
And the day will soon be done.