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Text for Cantata 121
Christum wir sollen loben schon

Original German Text

English Translation

1. CHOR

Christum wir sollen loben schon,
der reinen Magd Marien Sohn,
so weit die liebe Sonne leucht
und an aller Welt Ende reicht.

We shall yet praise Christ,
the chaste maiden Mary's son,
as wide as the beloved sun shines
and reaching all ends of the earth.

2. ARIA (Tenor)

O du von Gott erhöhte Kreatur,
begreife nicht, nein, nein, bewundre nur:
Gott will durch Fleisch des Fleisches Heil erwerben.
Wie groß ist doch der Schöpfer aller Dinge,
und wie bist du verachtet und geringe,
um dich dadurch zu retten vom Verderben.

O you creature elevated by God,
do not try to grasp, no, no, merely wonder:
God will, through flesh,
procure the salvation of the flesh.
How great indeed is the creator of all things,
and how disdainable and meager are you,
that you thereby be redeemed from doom.

3. REZITATIV (Alt)

Der Gnade unermesslichs Wesen
hat sich den Himmel nicht zur Wohnstatt auserlesen,
weil keine Grenze sie umschließt.
Was Wunder,
daß allhie Verstand und Witz gebricht,
ein solch Geheimnis zu ergründen,
wenn sie sich in ein keusches Herze gießt.
Gott wählet sich den reinen Leib
zu einem Tempel seiner Ehren,
um zu den Menschen sich mit wundervoller Art zu kehren.

The being of unfathomable grace
did not select heaven for a dwelling place,
while no borders confined it.
What wonder,
that suddenly reason and wit are bent
to fathom such a mystery,
as it infuses a chaste heart.
God himself elects the virgin womb
as a temple for his honor,
turning unto humanity in such a wondrous manner.

4. ARIA (Baß)

Johannis freudenvolles Springen
erkannte dich, mein Jesu, schon.
Nun da ein Glaubensarm dich hält,
so will mein Herze von der Welt
zu deiner Krippe brünstig dringen.

John's joy-filled leaps (in the womb)
already acclaimed you, my Jesus.
Now as you are held in the arms of a believer,
so is my heart of this world
ardently bound for your manger.

5. REZITATIV (Sopran)

Doch wie erblickt es dich in deiner Krippe?
Es seufzt mein Herz:
mit bebender und fast geschlossner Lippe
bringt es sein dankend Opfer dar.
Gott, der so unermesslich war,
nimmt Knechtsgestalt und Armut an.
Und weil er dieses uns zugutgetan,
so lasset mit der Engel Chören
ein jauchzend Lob- und Danklied hören!

Yet how will you appear in your manger?
My heart sighs:
with trembling and partially closed lips,
bringing him an offering of thanks.
God, who was so unfathomable,
has assumed the rank and lowliness of a servant.
And since he did this for us,
so let a jubilant song of praise and thanks
be heard among angelic chorus!

6. CHORAL

Lob, Ehr und Dank sei dir gesagt,
Christ, geborn von der reinen Magd,
samt Vater und dem Heilgen Geist
von nun an bis in Ewigkeit.

Praise, honor and thanks be proclaimed to you,
Christ, born of the chaste maiden,
together with the Father and the Holy Spirit
from now onward into eternity.


COMPOSED: December 26, 1724 (Leipzig) for the 2nd Day of Christmas (St. Stephen)
LIBRETTIST: unknown; based on the Martin Luther hymn A solis ortus cardine (1524)
TRANSLATION: 2017 © Tobin Schmuck, NYC
Print by permission only, please. Click here.

Cantata BWV 121: Christum wir sollen loben schon for 2nd Day of Christmas (1724)
Discography: Details & Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements
Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

BWV 121 Text: German-1 | German-6 | German-7 | NBA Text
Translations: English-1 | English-3I | English-3P | English-6 | English-10 | English-13 | English-14
Catalan-1 | Chinese-2 | Dutch-0 | Dutch-3 | French-3 | French-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Hungarian-1 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-2 | Kobayashi | Norwegian-1 | Polish-1 | Polish-2 | Portuguese-1 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 | Spanish-2 | Spanish-3 | Spanish-7 | Spanish/English-8
Chorale Text: Christum wir sollen loben schon [BWV 121/1,~2-5,6]

English Translations (English-10): Index by BWV Number | Index by Title | Index by Event | Note on English Translations


Texts & Translations: Main Page | Cantatas BWV 1-50 | Cantatas BWV 51-100 | Cantatas BWV 101-150 | Cantatas BWV 151-200 | Cantatas BWV 201-224 | Other Vocal BWV 225-249 | Chorales BWV 250-438 | Geistliche Lieder BWV 439-507 | AMN BWV 508-524 | Other Vocal 1081-1164 | BWV Anh | Chorale Texts | Emblemata | Sources | Poets & Composers
Discussions: Texts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Translations: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4




 

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Last update: Tuesday, December 12, 2023 14:09