The shepherds | The shepherds keep watch in the fields by night

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by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

Die Hirten

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG ITA

Die Hirten wachen nachts im Feld;
so still und dunkel liegt die Welt,
die Menschen alle schlafen:
Aber die Hirten, die armen Hirten
halten Wacht bei den Schafen.

Und sieh! ein Engel licht und schön
hernieder schwebt von Himmelshöhn,
Ein Bote auserkoren:
"Freuet euch, Hirten,Ihr guten Hirten,
der Heiland der Welt ist geboren."

Und Engel singen ringsumher:
"Sei Gott im Himmel Ruhm und Ehr,
den Menschen Frieden werde!"
Aber die Hirten, die frommen Hirten
knieten nieder zur Erde.

Dann eilten sie zum heil'gen Ort,
Maria und Joseph sahn sie dort,
den Sohn gehüllt in Windlein.
Selige Hirten, die guten Hirten
beteten an das Kindlein.

Text Authorship:

by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874) [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. 2a (1856), published 1871 [voice and piano], from Weihnachtslieder, no. 2a, Leipzig, Fritzsch; note: in 1979 Geoffrey Emerson wrote a clarinet part to go along with this song [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , title 1: "The shepherds", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , title 1: "I pastori", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Hetty Binns

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-08
Line count: 20
Word count: 104

The shepherds

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The shepherds keep watch in the fields by night;
the world lies peaceful and dark,
all people are asleep:
the shepherds, however, the poor shepherds
keep watch over their flock.

And lo! An angel, bright and full of beauty,
comes upon them from the heavens high,
a chosen herald:
"Rejoice, shepherds, ye good shepherds,
the Saviour of the world is born."

And all around angels sing:
"Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to all people!"
The shepherds, however, the pious shepherds
dropped to their knees.
 
Then they went to the holy place,
and found Mary and Joseph there,
the Son wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Blessed shepherds, the good shepherds
worshipped the child.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2007 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-08
Line count: 20
Word count: 114