Merry Christmas!

For Christmas, here is one of my favourite German carols, "O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf." It is a poem written by Friedrich von Spee in ca.1622, during the Thirty Years' War, and it is sung to a melancholy melody that also appears to come from the 17th century. Despite the militant opening, I like the lyrics as much as the melody, for their beauty and pithiness. I think that they go directly to the core of Christmas: it is a feast that briefly recreates the fruitfulness and brightness of summer in the "bleak mid-winter," when we sorely need it. The poem reminds me of a stained glass window seen from the gloomy stone interior of a medieval church; for, though the context may be dark, it depicts inspiriting visions of brighter things.

I was going to post the German text, and then compress my English translation under it in a handful of lines. But the German is so familiar that I have decided to post only the English. I do hope it isn't awful; I've been tinkering with it off and on for some weeks, much pleased by the chance to use archaic words, and though this version isn't perfect I'll leave it as it is, and stop fussing, because I'm becoming neurotic. (c:

O Saviour, rend the heavens wide,
to us beneath from heaven stride;
rend from the heavens gate and door,
rend where the key and bar before.

O God, a dew from heaven pour;
in the dew descend, we ask, Saviour.
Ye clouds, break out and rain down from
the king who sits o'er Jacob's home.

O Earth, strike forth, strike forth, o Earth,
in hill and vale to end green's dearth.
O Earth for this bring forth a flow'r;
o Saviour from the soils spring forth this hour.

Where bid'st thou, solace of the world,
in whom her hopes are wholly furled?
O come from chambers thine on high,
as in the vale of tears we cry.

O clearest sun, thou lovely star,
thee we do like to see afar.
O sun, rise forth; without thine shine
In darkness woeful we repine.

The gravest need we suffer here,
in our eyes Death stands always near;
o come lead us with pow'rful hand
from mis'ry to our fatherland.

Then shall we all thank thee, o Lord,
our redeemer evermore.
O Lord, then shall we all praise thee,
for always and eternally.