Ein' Feste Burg -- In German and the first English translation
Posted by Collectio Musicorum at 6:57 PM
Of
all the myths that surround the story of Martin Luther, the one that he nailed
his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg is the most
pervasive. There is no record of the
story of the nailing until after Luther’s death. What really happened on Halloween in 1517 is
he sent a copy of this text to his superior.
Other stories about Luther deal with his music. It is safe to say that his hymn “A Mighty
Fortress” is the most famous hymn to have come out of Germany from the time of
the Reformation. The account of its
creation was forcefully recorded by the author Heinrich Heine, who converted to
Lutheranism as a young man, when he wrote
"A battle hymn was this defiant song, with which he and
his comrades entered Worms [April 16, 1521]. The old cathedral trembled at
these new notes, and the ravens were startled in their hidden nests in the
towers. This hymn, the Marseillaise Hymn of the Reformation, has preserved its
potent spell even to our days, and we may yet soon use again in similar
conflicts the old mailed words.
Heine was wrong. It
was not written at the time of the Diet of Worms in 1521, but 8 or 9 years
later. We will now perform Luther’s
original version of the hymn, based on his own manuscript, which has been reproduced
on the cover of your program. The printed English translation is by the British author Thomas Carlyle, and dates from the
beginning of the 19th century.
In 1539, Miles Coverdale published a collection of hymns called “Ghostly Psalms and Spiritual Songs.” This book contained the first translation into English of Luther’s Ein’ Feste Burg. However, due to the government’s attempts to stifle Lutheran ideas, only one copy of this book has survived. It is now in a library at Oxford University, and we are grateful that they provided a copy of the hymn, so we could perform it.
In 1539, Miles Coverdale published a collection of hymns called “Ghostly Psalms and Spiritual Songs.” This book contained the first translation into English of Luther’s Ein’ Feste Burg. However, due to the government’s attempts to stifle Lutheran ideas, only one copy of this book has survived. It is now in a library at Oxford University, and we are grateful that they provided a copy of the hymn, so we could perform it.
Ein Feste
Burg……………......................................................Martin Luther
*Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, *A
safe stronghold our God is still,
ein gute Wehr und Waffen. A trusty shield and weapon;
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, He’ll keep us clear from all the ill
die uns jetzt hat betroffen. That hat us now o’ertaken.
Der alt böse Feind The ancient prince of hell
mit Ernst er’s jetzt meint, Hath risen with purpose fell;
groß Macht und viel List Strong mail of craft and power
sein grausam Rüstung ist, He weareth in this hour;
auf Erd ist nicht seinsgleichen. On earth is not his fellow.
*Mit unsrer Macht ist nichts getan, *With force of arms we nothing can,
wir sind gar bald verloren; Full soon were we down-ridden;
es streit’ für uns der rechte Mann, But for us fights the proper Man
den Gott hat selbst erkoren. Whom God himself hat bidden.
Fragst du, wer der ist? Ask you who is this same?
Er heißt Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus is his name,
der Herr Zebaoth, The Lord Sabaoth’s Son;
und ist kein andrer Gott, He, and no other one,
das Feld muss er behalten. Shall conquer in the battle.
*Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär *And were this world all devils o’er;
und wollt uns gar verschlingen, All watching to devour us,
so fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr, We lay it not to heart so sore;
es soll uns doch gelingen. They cannot overpower us.
Der Fürst dieser Welt, And let the prince of ill
wie sau’r er sich stellt, Look grim as e’er he will,
tut er uns doch nicht; He harms us not a whit;
das macht, er ist gericht’: For why? His doom is writ;
ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen. A word shall swiftly slay him.
*Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn 8God’s word, for all their craft and force,
und kein’ Dank dazu haben; One moment will not linger,
er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan But, spite of hell, shall haves its course;
mit seinem Geist und Gaben. ‘Tis written by his finger.
Nehmen sie den Leib, And though they take our life,
Gut, Ehr, Kind und Weib: Goods, honour, children, wife,
lass fahren dahin, Yet is their profit small;
sie haben’s kein’ Gewinn, These things shall vanish all:
das Reich muss uns doch bleiben. The city of God remaineth.
ein gute Wehr und Waffen. A trusty shield and weapon;
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, He’ll keep us clear from all the ill
die uns jetzt hat betroffen. That hat us now o’ertaken.
Der alt böse Feind The ancient prince of hell
mit Ernst er’s jetzt meint, Hath risen with purpose fell;
groß Macht und viel List Strong mail of craft and power
sein grausam Rüstung ist, He weareth in this hour;
auf Erd ist nicht seinsgleichen. On earth is not his fellow.
*Mit unsrer Macht ist nichts getan, *With force of arms we nothing can,
wir sind gar bald verloren; Full soon were we down-ridden;
es streit’ für uns der rechte Mann, But for us fights the proper Man
den Gott hat selbst erkoren. Whom God himself hat bidden.
Fragst du, wer der ist? Ask you who is this same?
Er heißt Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus is his name,
der Herr Zebaoth, The Lord Sabaoth’s Son;
und ist kein andrer Gott, He, and no other one,
das Feld muss er behalten. Shall conquer in the battle.
*Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär *And were this world all devils o’er;
und wollt uns gar verschlingen, All watching to devour us,
so fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr, We lay it not to heart so sore;
es soll uns doch gelingen. They cannot overpower us.
Der Fürst dieser Welt, And let the prince of ill
wie sau’r er sich stellt, Look grim as e’er he will,
tut er uns doch nicht; He harms us not a whit;
das macht, er ist gericht’: For why? His doom is writ;
ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen. A word shall swiftly slay him.
*Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn 8God’s word, for all their craft and force,
und kein’ Dank dazu haben; One moment will not linger,
er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan But, spite of hell, shall haves its course;
mit seinem Geist und Gaben. ‘Tis written by his finger.
Nehmen sie den Leib, And though they take our life,
Gut, Ehr, Kind und Weib: Goods, honour, children, wife,
lass fahren dahin, Yet is their profit small;
sie haben’s kein’ Gewinn, These things shall vanish all:
das Reich muss uns doch bleiben. The city of God remaineth.
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