I. Unto the seer, Isaiah, it was givenThat, in the spirit, he saw the Lord of heavenUp on a lofty throne, in radiance bright;The skirt of his garment filled the temple quite;Two seraphs at his side were standing there;Six wings, he saw, each one of them did wear:Two over their bright visages did meet,With two […]

I. A SONG OF ST. JOHN HUSS, IMPROVED BY DR. MARTIN LUTHER. Christ Jesus, our Redeemer born,Who from us did God’s anger turnThrough his sufferings sore and mainHelp he us all out of hell-pain! That we never should forget it,Gave he us his flesh, to eat it,Hid in poor bread, gift divine,And, to drink, his […]

To the tune–Ein Lappisch Mann: A Silly Man. Who number oneKeeps in the van,And gently canHis hoop drive onAnd fawn and fan,And every manCounts dust and bran–Is now the cock to crow to Pan. Who has in sightTo live upright,Keep honour bright,And be true quite–In vain shall fightAnd lose his might,Shall meet with slightAnd scorn […]

A SPIRITUAL SONG, CONCERNING OUR HOLY BAPTISM, WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY CONTAINED WHAT IT IS, WHO HAS INSTITUTED IT, WHERETO IT SERVES, &C.; To Jordan when our Lord had gone,His Father’s pleasure willing,He took his baptism of St. John,His work and charge fulfilling;Therein he did appoint a bathTo wash us from defilement,And there to drown that […]

I. These are the holy ten commandsWhich came to us from God’s own handsBy Moses, who thus did his willOn the top of Sinai’s hill.Kyrioleis. I am the Lord thy God alone;Of Gods besides thou shalt have none;Thou shalt thyself trust all to me,And love me right heartily.Kyrioleis. Thou shalt not speak like idle wordThe […]

THE HUNDRED AND THIRTIETH PSALM. From trouble deep I cry to thee;Lord God, hear thou my crying;Thy gracious ear oh turn to me,Open it to thy sighing.For if thou mean’st to look uponThe wrong and evil that is done,Who, Lord, can stand before thee? With thee availeth nought but graceTo cover trespass mortal;Our good deeds […]

I. Come, God, Creator, Holy Ghost,Visit the heart of all thy men;Fill them with grace the way thou know’st:What was thine, make so again; Our Comforter to soothe or chide;The blessed gift of highest God!A ghostly chrism to us applied,Live streams–fire–love spread abroad! O kindle in our minds a light;Give in our hearts love’s glowing […]

I. Death held our Lord in prisonFor sin that did undo us;But he hath up arisenAnd brought our life back to us.Therefore must we gladsome be,Praise our God, and thankful be,And sing out halleluja! Halleluja! No man yet Death overcame–All sons of men were helpless;Sin for this was all to blame,For no one yet was […]

I. THE TWELFTH PSALM. Ah God, from heaven look down and view;Let it thy pity waken;Behold thy saints how very few!We wretches are forsaken.Thy word they grant nor true nor right,And faith is thus extinguished quiteAmong the sons of Adam. They teach a cunning false and fine–In their own wits they found it;Their heart in […]

Of all the joys earth possesses,None the gladness fine surpassesWhich I give you with my singing,And with much harmonious ringing. An evil spirit cannot dwellWhere companions are singing well;Here strife, wrath, envy, hate, are not;Every heartache must leave the spot:Greed, care, all things that hard oppressTroop off with great unwillingness. Also each man is free […]

FIRST CYCLE. XII. PEACE. [Footnote: I have here used rimes although the original has none. With notions of translating severer now than when, many years ago, I attempted this poem, I should not now take such a liberty. In a few other points also the translation is not quite close enough to please me; but […]

THE MOTHER BY THE CRADLECONTENTMENT THE MOTHER BY THE CRADLE. Sleep, baby boy, sleep sweet, secure;Thy father’s very miniature!That art thou, though thy father goesAnd says that thou hast not his nose. This very moment here was he,His face o’er thine did poseAnd said–Much has he sure of me,But no, ’tis not my nose. I […]

THE GRAVE.PSYCHE’S MOURNING. THE GRAVE. The grave is deep and soundless,Its brink is ghastly lone;With veil all dark and boundlessIt hides a land unknown. The nightingale’s sweet closesDown there come not at all;And friendship’s withered rosesOn the mossy hillock fall. Their hands young brides forsakenWring bleeding there in vain;The cries of orphans wakenNo answer to […]

You have two ears–and but one mouth:Let this, friend, be a token–Much should be heard, and not so muchBe spoken. You have two eyes–and but one mouth:That is an indication–Much must you see, but little servesRelation. You have two hands–and but one mouth:Receive the hint you meet with–For labour two, but only oneTo eat with.

PART I. SONNET LIX. I am so weary with the burden oldOf foregone faults, and power of custom base,That much I fear to perish from the ways,And fall into my enemy’s grim fold.True, a high friend, to free me, not with gold,Came, of ineffable and utmost grace–Then straightway vanished from before my face,So that in […]

Son, first-born, at home abiding!All without is cold and bare:Hide me from the tempest’s chidingWarm beside the Father’s chair. I am homesick, Lord of splendour!Twilight fills my soul with fright:Let thy countenance befriend her,Shining from the halls of light. I am homesick, loving Father!Long years hath the pain increased:Soon, oh soon! thy children gatherTo the […]

The Italian scholar will understand that the retention of the feminine rimes in translation from this language is an impossibility. I. O Lady fair, whose honoured name doth graceGreen vale and noble ford of Rheno’s stream–Of all worth void the man I surely deemWhom thy fair soul enamoureth not apace,When softly self-revealed to time and […]

In a garden sweet went walkingTwo lovers hand in hand;Two pallid figures, low talking,They sat in the flowery land. They kissed on the cheek one another,And they kissed upon the mouth;They held in their arms each the other,And back came their health and youth. Two little bells rang shrilly–And the lovely dream was dead!She lay […]

In the far forest, overhead,A bell is often heard obscurely;How long since first, no one can tell–Nor can report explain it surely:From the lost church, the rumour hath,Out on the winds the ringing goeth;Once full of pilgrims was the path–Now where to find it, no one knoweth. Deep in the wood I lately wentWhere no […]

IV. Thy little hand lay on my bosom, dear:What a knocking in that little chamber!–dost hear?There dwelleth a carpenter evil, and heIs hard at work on a coffin for me. He hammers and knocks by night and by day;‘Tis long since he drove all my sleep away:Ah, haste thee, carpenter, busy keep,That I the sooner […]