The heavens boast
The heavens boast of Eternal Honor is the beginning of a text by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert . The title is The Glory of God from Nature . The poem first appeared in Gellert's collection of spiritual odes and songs in 1757 .
The text is also available under the same title in a setting by Ludwig van Beethoven (Opus 48,4) for voice and piano. It is No. 4 of the song cycle Sechs Lieder von Gellert , which Beethoven composed in 1803. The arrangement by Joseph Dantonello for four-part mixed choir , organ and orchestra has made it one of the most famous sacred songs.
Gellert's text takes up Ps 19 : 2-6 LUT in the first two stanzas , in order then to infer the greatness and admiration of the Creator in the manner of natural theology of the greatness and the wonders of creation :
The heavens boast of the Eternal Honor,
Your sound transmits his name.
The world praises him, the seas praise him,
hear, O man, you divine word.
Who does the sky have innumerable stars?
Who will lead the sun out of her tent?
It comes and shines and laughs at us from afar,
And runs the same way like a hero.
Hear it and see the wonders of works.
Which nature set up for you!
Doesn't
wisdom and order and strength proclaim
the Lord, Lord of the world, to you?
Can you
gaze senselessly at the innumerable armies of beings, the smallest dust?
Through whom is everything? O give him the honor!
You should trust me, calls the Lord.
Mine is strength, mine is heaven and earth;
You know me by my works.
It is I and will be who I will be,
your God and Father forever.
I am your creator, I am wisdom and goodness,
A God of order and your salvation;
It's me! Love me with all your heart
and partake in my grace.
Beethoven only set the first two stanzas of Gellert's poem to music. In various arrangements, further stanzas were added, some of which are based on Gellert's remaining poetry.