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Vom Himmel Hoch

by Martin Luther (1483-1546)
translation by James A. Tweedie

1. From highest heaven I here befall
To bring a good news tale to all.
So much I want this tale to bring
To tell it I will gladly sing.

2. A little child this day is born
Unto a virgin on this morn.
So fine and delicate a boy,
Who will be your delight and joy.

13. Ah, dearest Jesus, little one
Make a clean cradle and then come
To find your rest in my heart’s shrine
I’ll ne’er forget that you are mine.

15. Glory to God on Heaven’s throne
Who gave to us His only Son.
As angel choirs with joy give voice
May we in this new year rejoice.

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Original German

1. Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her,
Ich bring euch gute neue Mär;
Der guten Mär bring ich so viel,
Davon ich singn und sagen will.

2. Euch ist ein Kindlein heut geborn
Von einer Jungfrau auserkorn,
Ein Kindelein so zart und fein,
Das soll eu’r Freud und Wonne sein.

13. Ach, mein herzliebes Jesulein,
Mach dir ein rein, sanft Bettelein,
Zu ruhen in meins Herzens Schrein,
Daß ich nimmer vergesse dein.

15. Lob, Ehr sei Gott im höchsten Thron,
Der uns schenkt seinen ein’gen Sohn.
Des freuen sich der Engel Schar
Und singen uns solch neues Jahr.

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Translation Note and a Wordless Cantata Based on the Hymn Composed by the Poet

Vom Himmel Hoch is a German Christmas hymn with words and music written and composed by Martin Luther in 1539. His text contains 15 verses.

The most widely used English translation was made by Catherine Winkworth and published in 1855. Most English language hymnals that feature this hymn include her translation of the first three verses followed by the final, fifteenth verse.

My translation also features four verses: #1, #2, #13, and #15. I have chosen the 13th verse over the 3rd simply because J.S. Bach included the 1st and 13 verses of Vom Himmel Hoch in Part 1 of his Christmas Oratorio.

While taking a few liberties to accommodate rhymes, I have attempted to be as literal as possible, perhaps more so than Winkworth’s version, albeit that her translation is both more literary and more singable than mine.

In addition to my translation, I have also taken the hymn tune of Vom Himmel Hoch and composed and created what I am calling a Wordless Cantata which you can hear by clicking on the audio recording below.

The Cantata is in six parts:

Part 1 A 4-part chorale;
Part 2 For solo oboe and stings.
Part 3 For solo oboe and pizzicato violin.
Part.4 For flute, harp and solo oboe.
Part 5 A second 4-part chorale.
Part 6 For strings, two trumpets and solo French Horn.

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James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and three collections of poetry including Mostly Sonnets, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in The Lyric, Poetry Salzburg (Austria) Review, California Quarterly, Asses of Parnassus, Lighten Up Online, Better than Starbucks, Dwell Time, Light, Deronda Review, The Road Not Taken, Fevers of the Mind, Sparks of Calliope, Dancing Poetry, WestWard Quarterly, Society of Classical Poets, and The Chained Muse. He was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition.

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The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


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20 Responses

  1. Jeff Eardley

    Mr. Tweedie, a splendid translation and a most enjoyable cantata, particularly part 4. . I am intrigued as to how you put this together. A most enjoyable read and listen on a cold, wet day in England. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Stephen Dickey

    This was a pleasure to read first thing this morning, two days before Christmas. Seems to me that the problems for a translation cluster in verse 13. Nicely done!

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      My problem with verse 13 is that Luther’s word, Betteliein translates in modern German as “beg” which leaves the phrase “make yourself pure (or clean)” without an object other than Jesus himself, which raises the theological question as to how a sinless Jesus can make himself cleaner or purer than he already is? Winkworth figures this out by understanding that Luther’s spelling is old German and today the word would be written, “Bettlein” (without the extra “e”) which means, little bed or, I suppose, a cot, crib, or cradle.

      This was a naive error on my part in missing the context of the word.

      With that in mind I would now translate verse 13 as follows:

      13. Ah, dearest Jesus, little one
      Make a clean cradle and then come
      To find your rest in my heart’s shrine
      I’ll ne’er forget that you are mine.

      Reply
      • Stephen Dickey

        Bettelein is nevertheless a diminutive for Bett.
        I have noticed some variation between Bett and Bette (cf., e.g. Trakl: Und sie sieht ihr schmutzig Bette/Ganz vom goldenen Licht verhangen) and MHD has bette and bett for ‘bed’, so the “e” in Bettelein is no indication of another meaning. It’s the diminutive.
        Hope that helps.

      • Stephen Dickey

        And yes the new version reads better & is more accurate.

  3. Joshua C. Frank

    Beautiful hymn, James, and well-written, well-played instrumentation. Thank you for bringing this lovely German hymn to the English-speaking world.

    It’s interesting how though German is more closely related to English than French is, we can recognize more English words in French than in German.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Joshua,

      What an interesting comment!

      English certainly does have much in common with both languages although, in my opinion, French grammar is closer to English grammar as is their respective vocabulary, with this ascendency probably related to the overarching influence of Latin in the English Church, law and literature (with Greek and Latin being historically-required languages at Oxford and Cambridge). No doubt Margaret Coats could offer some insight in this matter.

      Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      I would say Joshua sees so many French-derived words in English because French was the language of upper classes in England for about 300 years from the Norman Conquest in 1066. Many of the lower classes during that time found it worthwhile to be bilingual. That represents direct influence not mediated through Latin, although Latin was an English schoolboy subject well into the 20th century. One of my Harvard professors recalled going to school in England, where classes would go on walks in the fields, and be required by the accompanying teacher to comment in Latin on things they saw. Girls, from the 17th century to the 19th, were taught French and Italian as suitable “accomplishments.” All of this Romance language influence comes into English much more recently than the pre-1066 Germanic roots and Scandinavian influence. Together, the Germanic and Romance influences make our English vocabulary the richest of any language, which is of especially great value to us as poets. Greek was necessary for university students, as James says, but important mostly for upper-level scholars. Still, that is another significant source of English vocabulary.

      Reply
      • James A. Tweedie

        Margaret,

        I knew you would add something intelligent and insightful to this thread if you happened to trip over it. I’m glad you did. My reference to Latin and English University is because so many English authors and poets studied in those places and no doubt found their vocabularies and grammar more influenced by French and Latin than they did with 17th-20th century German!

        Hence my conclusion that modern French parallels English far more closely in both grammar and vocabulary than modern German.

  5. Damian Robin

    I was not aware of Luther’s Hymn, nor that Bach was not a Catholic ! So thanks for educating me in these skillful, pleasant, and soothing ways, James.

    A very happy Christmas to you, family, and friends, and even enemies, if you have any !!

    Reply
  7. Roy Eugene Peterson

    As one who once had to learn German in the military, I really love your translation skills and particularly like your revision of verse 13 with “cradle” being the “little bed.”

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Although there is a different word for it, I suspect Luther may have been thinking of the manger as a “little bed” as well.

      Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    I especially enjoyed (heh-heh) learning from your note on Part 2 that it was “for solo oboe and stings,” but I shudder to dwell on what implications this entails.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      You should have seen the typo that Evan corrected for me! lol

      Merry Christmas, C.B.

      Reply
  10. Yael

    Thank you, I very much enjoy reading and hearing the old German protestant reformation hymns, especially those of M. Luther, and the music of J.S. Bach.
    I would like to offer you a very literal translation of #13 which does nothing for the non-native German reader except to aid in understanding what exactly Luther is saying here:

    Oh, my heart loving little Jesus
    Make you a pure, peaceful little bed
    For to rest in my heart’s shrine
    That I never forget you.

    May the love, peace and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ accompany you this holiday and forever.

    Reply
    • James A. Tweedie

      Ty Yael. That is exactly the text that I worked with (after I got the Bettelein/beg thing worked out!)

      Reply
  11. Margaret Coats

    James, despite Winkworth’s good translation, English speakers can profit by a more modern one, especially as yours is more literal. You should certainly ask Mike Bryant to change your published version to correct verse 13! Not everybody will read these comments. Thanks for both words and worthy music!

    Reply

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