The Shepherds | Shepherds watch in the fields

Translation Singable translation by Elsa Ebertz

Die Hirten

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG ITA

Hirten wachen im Feld,
Nacht ist rings auf der Welt,
Wach sind die Hirten alleine
  Im Haine.

Und ein Engel so licht
Grüßet die Hirten und spricht:
"Christ, das Heil aller Frommen,
  Ist kommen!"

Engel singen umher:
"Gott im Himmel sei Ehr'
Und den Menschen hienieden
  Sei Frieden!"

Eilen die Hirten fort,
Eilen zum heilgen Ort,
Beten an in den Windlein
  Das Kindlein.

Confirmed with Gedichte von Peter Cornelius, eingeleitet von Adolf Stern, Leipzig, C. F. Kahnt Nachfolger, 1890, page 140.

Text Authorship:

by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Die Hirten", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Weihnachtslieder [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 Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Die Hirten", op. 8 no. 2b (1870), published 1871 [ voice and piano ], from Weihnachtslieder, no. 2b, Leipzig, Fritzsch [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The shepherds", copyright ©
ENG English [singable] (Elsa Ebertz) , "The Shepherds"
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "I pastori", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 63

The Shepherds

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Shepherds watch in the fields,
Earth now to darkness yields;
Shepherds are guarding alone,
  Their own.

An angel with golden rays
Greeteth the shepherds and says:
"Christ hath blessed with his birth
  The earth."

Angels sing in harmony,
"Glory to God on high!
To all men peace and goodwill
  By God's will!"

Shepherds with eager pace
Haste to the holy place[,]
Worship with the mother mild
  The Christchild.

from Edition Schott 610 of the Weihnachtlieder

Text Authorship:

Singable translation by Elsa Ebertz , "The Shepherds"

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Die Hirten", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Weihnachtslieder
- Go to the text page.

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

[ None yet in the database ]

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-12-12
Line count: 16
Word count: 68