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Cantata BWV 64
Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget
English Translation in Parallel Format
Cantata BWV 64 - See, what sort of love the Father has shown to us

Event: 3rd Day of Christmas [St John's Day]
Readings: Epistle: Hebrews 1: 1-14 / Ecclesiastical Letters 15: 1-8; Gospel: John 1: 1-14
Text: I John 3: 1 (Mvt. 1); Martin Luther (Mvt. 2); Balthasar Kindermann (Mvt. 4); Johann Franck (Mvt. 8); Christian Weiss, Sr. or Anon (Mvts. 3, 5, 6-7) [based on text from Johann Oswald (?) Knauer cantata cycle]
Chorale Texts: Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ | Was frag ich nach der Welt | Jesu, meine Freude

Biblical quotations in green font, chorales in purple

 

Original German Text

 

English Translation

1

Coro

1

Chorus [S, A, T, B]

 

Cornetto e Violino I col Soprano, Trombone I e Violino II coll'Alto, Trombone II e Viola col Tenore, Trombone III col Basso, Continuo

 

Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget, dass wir Gottes Kinder heißen.

 

See, what sort of love the Father has shown to us, that we are called the children of God.

       

2

Choral

2

Chorale [S, A, T, B]

 

Cornetto e Violino I col Soprano, Trombone I e Violino II coll'Alto, Trombone II e Viola col Tenore, Trombone III col Basso, Continuo

 

Das hat er alles uns getan,
Sein groß Lieb zu zeigen an.
Des freu sich alle Christenheit
Und dank ihm des in Ewigkeit.
Kyrieleis!

 

He has done all this for us
to reveal his great love.
Because of this the whole Christian world should rejoice
and thank him in eternity.
Kyrie eleison [Lord, have mercy]

       

3

Recitativo A

3

Recitative [Alto]

 

Continuo

   
 

Geh, Welt! behalte nur das Deine,
Ich will und mag nichts von dir haben,
Der Himmel ist nun meine,
An diesem soll sich meine Seele laben.
Dein Gold ist ein vergänglich Gut,
Dein Reichtum ist geborget,
Wer dies besitzt, der ist gar schlecht versorget.
Drum sag ich mit getrostem Mut:

 

Go away, world! Keep only what is yours.
I want and may have nothing from you.
Heaven is now mine,
with this my soul should be refreshed,
Your gold is a possession that passes away,
your wealth is borrowed,
Whoever possesses you is cared for really badly
and so with a spirit that has been comforted I say:

       

4

Choral

4

Chorale [S, A, T, B]

 

Cornetto e Violino I col Soprano, Trombone I e Violino II coll'Alto, Trombone II e Viola col Tenore, Trombone III col Basso, Continuo

 

Was frag ich nach der Welt
Und allen ihren Schätzen
Wenn ich mich nur an dir,
Mein Jesu, kann ergötzen!
Dich hab ich einzig mir
Zur Wollust vorgestellt:
Du, du bist meine Lust;
Was frag ich nach der Welt!

 

Why should I askk after the world
and all is treasures
when only in you can I,
my Jesus, take pleasure
It is you alone that I
have placed before me for delight
You, you , are my delight
Why should I ask after the world!

       

5

Aria S

5

Ària [Soprano]

 

Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo

   
 

Was die Welt
In sich hält,
Muß als wie ein Rauch vergehen.
Aber was mir Jesus gibt
Und was meine Seele liebt,
Bleibet fest und ewig stehen.

 

What the world
holds within itself
must all pass away like smoke.
But what Jesus gives me

and what my soul loves
stays firm and stands forever.

       

6

Recitativo B

6

Recitative [Bass]

 

Continuo

   
 

Der Himmel bleibet mir gewiss,
Und den besitz ich schon im Glauben.
Der Tod, die Welt und Sünde,
Ja selbst das ganze Höllenheer
Kann mir, als einem Gotteskinde,
Denselben nun und nimmermehr
Aus meiner Seele rauben.
Nur dies, nur einzig dies macht mir noch Kümmernis,
Dass ich noch länger soll auf dieser Welt verweilen;
Denn Jesus will den Himmel mit mir teilen,
Und darzu hat er mich erkoren,
Deswegen ist er Mensch geboren.

 

Heaven remains certain for me
and I already possess it in faith
Death,the world and sin,
indeed the whole host of hell itself
can from me – since I am a child of God
never now nor in the future
rob my soul of heaven.
Only this, only one thing still causes me anxiety
that I still have to stay longer in this world,
but someday Jesus will share heaven wíth me,
and for this reason he has chosen me
for this reason he was born.

       

7

Aria A

7

Aria [Alto]

 

Oboe d'amore, Continuo

   
 

Von der Welt verlang ich nichts,
Wenn ich nur den Himmel erbe.
Alles, alles geb ich hin,
Weil ich genung versichert bin,
Dass ich ewig nicht verderbe.

 

From the world I demand nothing,
if only I may inherit heaven.
Everything, everything I give away
since I am sufficiently confident
that I shall not be destroyed forever.

       

8

Choral

8

Chorale [S, A, T, B]

 

Cornetto e Violino I col Soprano, Trombone I e Violino II coll'Alto, Trombone II e Viola col Tenore, Trombone III col Basso, Continuo

 

Gute Nacht, o Wesen,
Das die Welt erlesen!
Mir gefällst du nicht.
Gute Nacht, ihr Sünden,
Bleibet weit dahinten,
Kommt nicht mehr ans Lieht!
Gute Nacht, du Stolz und Pracht!
Dir sei ganz, du Lasterleben,
Gute Nacht gegeben!

 

Good night, o nature
chosen by the world!
You do not please me.
Good night, you sins,
stay far behind me,
come no more to light!
Good night, you pride and splendour!
To you, my burdensome life, a final
good night I bid!

       

This Translation in Interlinear Format

English Translation by Francis Browne (December 2005)

Contributed by Francis Browne (October 2011)

Cantata BWV 64: Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget for 3rd Day of Christmas (1723)
Discography: Details & Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements
Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

BWV 64 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-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Hungarian-1 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-2 | Norwegian-1 | Polish-1 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 | Spanish-2 | Spanish-3 | Spanish-7 | Spanish/English-8
Chorale Texts: Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ [BWV 64/2] | Was frag ich nach der Welt [BWV 64/4] | Jesu, meine Freude [BWV 64/8]

English Translations in Interlinear/Parallel Format (English-3): Sorted by BWV Number | Sorted by Title | Sorted 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: Monday, January 09, 2023 14:26