Advent | We abide, Christ, in dark times

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by Rudolf Alexander Schröder (1878 - 1962)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wir harren, Christ, in dunkler Zeit

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Wir harren, Christ, in dunkler Zeit,
Gib deinen Stern uns zum Geleit
  Auf winterlichem Feld.
Du kamest sonst doch Jahr um Jahr;
Nimm heut auch unsrer Armut wahr
  In der verworrenen Welt.

Es geht uns nicht um bunten Traum
Von Kinderlust und Lichterbaum;
  Wir bitten: blick uns an
Und laß uns schaun dein Angesicht,
Drin jedermann, was ihm gebricht,
  Gar leicht verschmerzen kann.

Es darf nicht immer Friede sein;
Wer's recht begriff, der gibt sich drein.
  Hat jedes seine Zeit.
Nur deinen Frieden, lieber Herr,
Begehren wir je mehr und mehr,
  Je mehr die Welt voll Streit.

About the headline (FAQ)

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Rudolf Alexander Schröder, Gesammelte Werke in Fünf Bänden, Erster Band, Die Gedichte, Berlin und Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1952, page 772.

Text Authorship:

by Rudolf Alexander Schröder (1878 - 1962), no title, written 1941, appears in Gedichte, in Die Geistlichen Gedichte, in 2. Zweites Buch: Mit dem Kirchenjahr, in Zum Advent, no. 2 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Egon Joseph Wellesz (1885 - 1974), "Advent", op. 47 no. 3 (1932) [ men's chorus a cappella ], from Drei geistliche Männerchöre, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Advent", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-06-17
Line count: 18
Word count: 97

Advent

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

We abide, Christ, in dark times,
Give us Thy star to accompany us
  Upon the wintry field.
For formerly you came year after year;
Observe today as well our poverty
  In the tortuous world

We are not concerned with the colourful dream
Of children's joy and a tree of light;
  We plead: look upon us
And let us see Thy face,
Within which everyone from whatever affliction
  May easily recover.

It may not always be peace;
Who comprehends that rightly, surrenders to it.
  Everything has its time.
Only for Thy peace, dear Lord,
We yearn ever more and more,
  The more the world is full of conflict.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Rudolf Alexander Schröder (1878 - 1962), no title, written 1941, appears in Gedichte, in Die Geistlichen Gedichte, in 2. Zweites Buch: Mit dem Kirchenjahr, in Zum Advent, no. 2
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-11-29
Line count: 18
Word count: 107