Thursday, February 16, 2012

Wach auf, mein Herz, die Nacht ist hin



    Awake, my soul; the rising sun
    Dispels the night of mourning;
    Awake, with songs of praises run
    To greet the Lord returning.
    He burst the gates of death today
    And left the gloomy grave for aye
    While all the world rejoices.

    Arise, my soul, from sin and death,
    To thee new life is given;
    Arise and run the race of faith;
    Fix thy desires on heaven
    Where Jesus, thy Redeemer reigns,
    And seek the things that it contains,
    If thou with Him be risen.

    Art thou distressed by weight of care?
    Thy Savior will remove it.
    Believing, thou with joy canst bear
    Thy cross and learn to love it.
    Cast all thy burden on the Lord;
    Fear not; for He will help afford,
    For now He hath arisen.

    Now Judah's Lion, true and tried,
    The victory obtaineth;
    The Lamb of God, the Crucified,
    For us salvation gaineth,
    And giveth righteousness and life;
    For after all the dreadful strife,
    O'er every foe He triumphs.

    Then up, my soul, begin the fight,
    For Christ, the Victor, leadeth.
    He arms thee with a victor's might;
    With Him thy cause succeedeth.
    Now thou can'st rise and live anew
    And righteousness and peace pursue
    And be a faithful servant.

    Fear not the angry jaws of hell,
    Nor world, nor death, nor devil.
    Thy Savior lives and all is well,
    Though sore has been His travail.
    A Victor crowned, He as a Friend
    The mean and feeble doth attend,
    And therefore thou shalt conquer.

    Ah, Lord, whom death could not defile,
    Who from the dead hast risen,
    Free us from Satan's might and guile
    And save us from his prison.
    O grant, that, as one body, we
    May enter that new life in Thee
    Which Thou for us hast gotten.

                                              Laurentius Laurenti, 1700.
                                                          Tr. A. Ramsey.

No comments: