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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

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by Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769 - 1860)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Danklied
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
  Frischauf! mein Herz, und werde Klang!
Und, Seele, werde Lied!
Und, Freude töne Lobgesang, 
Der mir im Busen glüht!
Denn er, der alle Himmel rollt 
Und zählt das Sternenheer, 
Denn Gott, der Vater, treu und hold, 
Verläßt mich nimmermehr. 

  Ich lag, umhüllt mit Finsterniß, 
Die aus der Hölle kam,
Und durch die tiefste Seele riß 
Mit Tigerklau'n der Gram,
Gebrochen war mir alle Kraft,
Erloschen aller Muth,
Da rief ich dem, der alles schafft:
Mach's Vater, mach' es gut!

  Und plötzlich ward die Nacht zu Licht, 
Zur Wonne ward das Leid,
Und wieder schaut' ich aufgericht't 
Des Lebens Herrlichkeit, 
Den blauen, lichten Sternenraum, 
Der Erde Blumenfeld --
Da war mein Jammer nur ein Traum, 
Die Welt die beste Welt.

  Drum dank' ich dem, der Wunder thut
Und Güte für und für,
Es rieselt jeder Tropfen Blut
Den Lobgesang in mir, 
Es wird ein jeder Blick ein Stral, 
Der auf gen Himmel dringt, 
Wo tausend tausend tausend Mal
Das Heilig! Heilig! klingt.

  Denn wie die Kindlein in dem Schooß 
Die treue Mutter hegt,
Läßt seine Treue nimmer los,
Die alles selig trägt;
Und seine Liebe lockt so süß, 
Was Liebe mag versteh'n, 
Daß wir zu ihm in's Paradies
Der Lust und Unschuld geh'n.

Confirmed with Gedichte von Ernst Moritz Arndt, Zweite Auflage, Berlin: Wiedmannsche Buchhandlung, 1865, pages 459-460.


Text Authorship:

  • by Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769 - 1860), "Danklied", written 1843 [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 August Wilhelm Julius Rietz (1812 - 1877), "Danklied", op. 40 (Sechs geistliche Gesänge für vier Männerstimmen) no. 6, published 1873 [ ttbb chorus ], Leipzig: Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Song of gratitude", subtitle: "1843", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2024-12-09
Line count: 40
Word count: 202

Song of gratitude
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
  Arise briskly! my heart, and become tone,
And, [my] soul, become song!
And, let joy sound the song of praise
That glows within my breast!
For He, who unfurls all the heavens
And counts the host of stars,
For God, the Father, faithful and loving,
Shall never leave me.

  I lay, shrouded in the darkness
That comes from out of hell,
And through my deepest soul
Grief tore with the claws of a tiger;
All my strength was broken,
All my courage extinguished,
Then I called out to Him who creates all things:
Make it, Father, make it come right!

  And suddenly the night became light,
Sorrow was transformed into bliss,
And, raised up, I once more saw
The glory of life,
The blue, bright realm of the stars,
The flowery meadow of the earth --
Then my misery was but a dream,
The world the best of all worlds.

  Therefore, I thank Him who wreaks miracles
And goodness ever and ever,
Every drop of blood within me
Ripples the song of praise,
Every glance becomes a beam
That presses upward to Heaven,
Where a thousand, thousand, thousand times
Holy! Holy! rings out.

  For as a little child is tended
By a faithful mother in her lap,
Thus does His faithfulness never let go,
[His faithfulness] that supports everything blissfully;
And His love entices so sweetly
That which love may understand,
That we shall come to Him in 
His paradise of joy and innocence!

Subtitle: "1843"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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 Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769 - 1860), "Danklied", written 1843
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2025-08-24
Line count: 40
Word count: 244

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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