by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

And did those feet in ancient time
Language: English 
Available translation(s): GER SPA
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of Desire!
Bring me my Spear! Oh, Clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of Fire.

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant Land!

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: referred to by Miriam Waddington in The Snows of William Blake

Authorship:

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

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

  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Und schritten jene Füße einst", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Aminta Iriarte) , "Jerusalén", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Aminta Iriarte

This text was added to the website: 2004-02-04
Line count: 16
Word count: 97

Und schritten jene Füße einst
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Und schritten jene Füße einst
auf Englands grünen Bergeshöhn?
Und ward das heil'ge Gotteslamm
auf Englands Auen je gesehn?

Erschien das heil'ge Angesicht
im Wolkenhimmel überm Berg?
Und ward Jerusalem hier erbaut
inmitten düsterm Teufelswerk?

Bringt mir den Bogen lohen Golds:
Bringt mir die Pfeile der Begier:
Bringt mir den Speer: Gewölk, reiß auf!
Bringt meinen feurig' Wagen mir!

Ich lass' nicht ab vom geist'gen Streit,
nicht ruh' das Schwert mir in der Hand,
eh' wir Jerusalem erbaut
in Englands grünem, schönem Land.

Authorship:

  • Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2010 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

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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2010-07-28
Line count: 16
Word count: 83