by
John Clare (1793 - 1864)
Nature's Hymn to the Deity
Language: English
Available translation(s): GER
All nature owns with one accord
The great and universal Lord:
The sun proclaims him through the day,
The moon when daylight drops away,
The very darkness smiles to wear
The stars that show us God is there,
On moonlight seas soft gleams the sky
And "God is with us" waves reply.
Winds breathe from God's abode "we come,"
Storms louder own God is their home,
And thunder yet with louder call,
Sounds "God is mightiest over all";
Till earth right loath the proof to miss
Echoes triumphantly "He is,"
And air and ocean makes reply,
God reigns on earth, in air and sky.
All nature owns with one accord
The great and universal Lord:
Insect and bird and tree and flower --
The witnesses of every hour --
Are pregnant with his prophesy
And "God is with us" all reply.
The first link in the mighty plan
Is still -- and all upbraideth man.
Authorship:
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 Dickinson (b. 1934), "Nature's Hymn to the Deity", 1968, copyright © 1971, first performed 1969 [mezzo-soprano or contralto, SATB chorus, and orchestra], from Outcry, no. 5, Sevenoaks, Kent, Novello [
text not verified
]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , title 1: "Lobpreis der Natur an die Gottheit", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-01
Line count: 24
Word count: 152
Lobpreis der Natur an die Gottheit
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Natur bezeugt in einem fort
den großen, allerhab'nen Gott:
Am Tag verkündet ihn die Sonn',
und, wenn ihr Licht erlischt, der Mond;
die Finsternis ist voll der Freud'
zu tragen Gottes Sternenkleid;
sanft glänzt der Mond vom Himmel her
und "Gott ist mit uns" rauscht das Meer.
Aus Gottes Wohnstatt Winde nah'n,
Sturm kündigt Gott noch lauter an,
und Donner mit gewalt'gem Schall
spricht "Gott ist Herrscher überall";
die Erd' stimmt ein in den Erweis,
tut allem ruhmreich kund, "So sei's."
Und Luft und Meere pflichten bei,
dass Gott der Herr des Weltalls sei.
Natur bezeugt in einem fort
den großen, allerhab'nen Gott:
Baum, Blume, Käfer, Vogelschar
bezeugen dieses immerdar;
erfüllt von seiner Prophetie
"Gott ist mit uns", rufen sie.
Sein erstes Glied im großen Plan
- getadelt wohl - sind Weib und Mann.
Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in English by John Clare (1793 - 1864), "Nature's Hymn to the Deity"
This text was added to the website: 2013-06-26
Line count: 24
Word count: 134