Monday, December 26, 2011

The Complete Weihnachts-oratorium of JS Bach, Part V:VI-XI

6. Recitativo (T)

 [Evangelist]
Da das der König Herodes hörte,
erschrak er und mit ihm das ganze Jerusalem.

~

And thus when Herod the king had heard this,
he trembled, and with him the whole of Jerusalem.

~~~~~

7. Recitativo (A)

Warum wollt ihr erschrecken?
Kann meines Jesu Gegenwart euch solche Furcht erwecken?
O! solltet ihr euch nicht
Vielmehr darüber freuen,
Weil er dadurch verspricht,
Der Menschen Wohlfahrt zu verneuen.

~

Wherefore would ye be frightened?
Can my dear Jesus' presence then in you such fear awaken?
Oh! Should ye not by this
Instead be moved with gladness,
That he thereby hath pledged
To make anew mankind's well-being!

~~~~~

8. Recitativo (T)

[Evangelist]
Und ließ versammlen alle Hohepriester und Schriftgelehrten
unter dem Volk
und erforschete von ihnen, 
wo Christus sollte geboren werden.
Und sie sagten ihm:
Zu Bethlehem im jüdischen Lande;
denn also stehet geschrieben durch den Propheten:
Und du Bethlehem
im jüdischen Lande
bist mitnichten die kleinest 
unter den Fürsten Juda;
denn aus dir soll mir kommen der Herzog,
der über mein Volk Israel ein Herr sei.

~

And assembling all the high priests and scribes
from amongst the people,
did he then inquire of them,
where the birth of Christ was supposed to happen.
And they said to him:
"In Bethlehem in the land of Judea;
for even thus is it written by the prophet:
'And thou, Bethlehem,
in the land of Judea
art by no means the least 
among the princes of Judah;
for from thee shall to me come the ruler,
who shall over my people Israel be master.'"

~~~~~

9. Aria (S, A, T)

Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen?
Ach, wenn kömmt der Trost der Seinen?
Schweigt, er ist schon würklich hier!

Jesu, ach so komm zu mir!

~

Ah, when will that time appear then?
Ah, when will his people's hope come?
Hush, he is already here!

Jesus, ah, then come to me!

~~~~~

10. Recitativo (A)

Mein Liebster herrschet schon.
Ein Herz, das seine Herrschaft liebet
Und sich ihm ganz zu eigen gibet,
Ist meines Jesu Thron.


~

My dearest ruleth now.
The heart which his dominion loveth
And gives itself to him entirely
Shall be my Jesus' throne.

~~~~~

11. Choral (S, A, T, B)

Zwar ist solche Herzensstube
Wohl kein schöner Fürstensaal,
Sondern eine finstre Grube;
Doch, sobald dein Gnadenstrahl
In denselben nur wird blinken,
Wird es voller Sonnen dünken.


~

Though in truth my heart's poor lodging
Is no lovely royal hall,
Rather but a dreary chamber,
Yet, when once thy mercy's beams
Bring to it the merest glimmer,
It seems as though with sun to shimmer.

~~~~~


~~~~~


The complete Christmas Oratorio is featured on All for Hymn
beginning at 6:00 PM ET on December 24, 2011
and running every 3 hours.

English Translation © Z. Philip Ambrose, translator, 
Web publication: http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach.
Used by permission.

Special thanks to counterpoint85 over on youtube
for posting the complete work.

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