Wake up, wake up, you German country
Wake up, wake up, you German country (actually: Ein newes Christlichs Lied / By means of Deudschland to penance ) is a Lutheran spiritual song that wants to call up and awaken Germany lying in the sleep of sin. The text and the melody were created by Johann Walter in 1561. The original 26-stanza song is contained in a seven-stanza version in the Evangelical Hymnal (No. 145). In the Mennonite Hymns (No. 495) it is contained in a six-verse version under the title Wake Up, Wake Up, You Our Country .
Emergence
Walter, who worked decisively on Luther's side and was also instrumental in the creation of the Deutsche Messe , perceived the changes in religion and politics that came to light in his Torgau place of work in the course of the Leipzig interim and the Council of Trent as compromising and recatholic . He saw the Reformation in danger, which Germany had received as an undeserved distinction "through Luther the Prophet" (verses 2-7). He wanted to give the divine word back its place in everyday life and at the same time act against the rampant decline in values. This manifests itself in a corrupt economy, the decline of family morality, in debauchery, in the licentiousness of the youth, in luxury clothes and in the dissolution of the class society, in short a superficial Christianity (verses 8-18). As a consequence, Walter announces the judgment: God's deserved eschatological punishment (through “signs” in stanzas 19-22). Like the prophet ( Isa 51,17 LUT ) he raises a warning call to penance in view of their approach (verse 23). Since this overwhelmed the people, the song ends in a three-verse call to prayer (verses 24-26).
shape
In his work Walter returns formally to the beginnings of Reformation song making, which in turn is rooted in minnesang. As in the Stollenstrophe, the text of the first and second tunnel is followed by the swan song. Musically he redesigns the old German tenor song with which he began his work in 1524 and here presents a four-part composition. Two thirds are layered on top of one another and the upper quint is elevated to the sixth, so that the Reformation songs express the wake-up call and penance. The swan song follows relaxed. In this formal return movement with elementary means, Walter emphasizes the intention of the Reformation and calls back to the sources.
content
A total of three pairs of opposites dominate the song:
The song is part of a number of well-known songs of this genre (EG: 114 , 147 , 241 , 244 , 446 ) as a spiritual day song (also called “ guardian song ” ). While in the day song of the renaissance the guardian announces the approaching day to the lovers, the spiritual day song usually promises the day of salvation to those who remain in their sleep (beautiful in The Morning Star has penetrated ) . Walter, however, sharpens his statement and describes the Lord's Day as a judgment day of, if not global, then at least a national dimension.
Even if the lie (stanzas 4, 5, 6, 18, 26) had been driven out by the prophet of the Reformation, people - "blinded by the devil's cunning" - would have turned to it again. While comparable wake-up songs usually addressed the soul, the heart or even the individual, Walter directed his song to the entire German country. This had fallen back again into the darkness, the night, the sin and needed the rousing wake-up call, because the day had long since dawned. Walter sees this bright day as coming in the event of the Reformation, personified in the key figure of Martin Luther as a “ prophet ” (stanza 6) or “man of God” (stanza 21).
The reference to Hans Sachs ' Reformation poem Die wittenbergisch Nachtigall (1523), the beginning of which ("Wake up, the day is approaching!") Is quoted metrically, is also obvious . Here, too, Luther - in the form of the nightingale that drives away the night - acts as a symbol and key figure.
In other contemporary poetry, too, Germany appears to be an addressee of comparable appeals. In his epigram “Ad Germanos” (1562) “To the Germans” , Johann Lauterbach (1531–1593) laments the ominous gluttony […] as a sign of the approaching day of judgment, and Nathan Chyträus (1543–1598) asks rhetorically in Germania degenerans (1579) "Germany degenerate": "Veternum aufferet ex oculis quae medicina tuis" ("What medicine could remove the drowsiness from your eyes?").
In summary, the song offers a “time mirror from the perspective of a pessimistic, strict Lutheran”.
history
The song was published as a single print and was not originally intended for use in church services. Like its creator and his work, it was forgotten. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that a five-stanza version (stanzas 1, 3, 8, 23, 24) was found in some Protestant hymn books, for example in the hymn book for Saxony and Anhalt under the heading “Land und Volk”. In the hymn book of the coming church , which was published by Heinz Weidmann in 1935 and is close to the German Christians , a four-stanza version is listed under the heading "Church and People" with almost no reference to the intention of penance. The Evangelical Church Hymnal brought a nine-stanzan version (stanzas 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 18, 22, 23, 24) under the heading "For the people and fatherland" with an emphasis on Germany under no. Sunday after Trinity, the day of commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem .
The current Evangelical Hymnbook makes the phrase “German country” replaceable with the subline construction “our” instead of “German”. With its seven-verse (verses 1, 3, 7, 8, 18, 23, 24) version under the heading of penance , it emphasizes the assignment to the original penitential tendency: the wake-up call (verse 1) with double “wake up” and “concern” follows Lutheran doctrine of justification (stanza 3; EG 2) ( Joh 1.29 LUT ; 3.16 LUT ; 14.6 LUT ), which leads to an active commitment (stanzas 7, 8; EG 3, 4). The complaint about the suppression of the truth (verse 18; EG 5) is not only related to the 8th commandment - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" ( 2 Mos 20,16 LUT ) - but to indifference against God's word and the watering down of the Reformation teaching (stanza 23; EG 6). The announced sentence probably refers to Lk 21,25 LUT , Rev 3,19-20 LUT . Verse 24 (EG 7) closes with the request for the help of the Holy Spirit in a change of heart and a change in life in the face of the near final judgment.
text
(Complete song with original verses )
1. [EG 1] Wake up, wake up, you German country!
You have slept enough,
consider what God has addressed to you,
what he created you for.
Consider what God has sent
you and trusts you his highest pledge,
so you may well wake up!
2. God has greatly honored you, Germany,
with his word of graces.
You also received a great light
and let you be invited
to his kingdom, which is eternal,
to which you are then invited,
wants to heal your damage.
3. [EG 2] God has given you Christ, his Son,
truth and life,
his dear gospel,
out of sheer grace;
for Christ alone is the man who has
done enough sin for the world,
no other work helps.
4. Before you lay in the dark,
severely wounded even with blindness.
With you there was no light of truth.
Your heart was even directed
to lies and idolatry,
false worship and hypocrisy
sunk into the kingdom of the devil.
5. You have previously
heard of the Antichrist, his devil's teaching.
And his lies, stench and crap are honored
as divine things.
As your master,
you willingly gave your body and property to him,
who will not complain to you.
6.
God has separated your heart from such lies and false appearances .
Through Luther, your prophet,
all of Germany confessed this.
Has drawn you graciously
to his kingdom, even fatherly.
probably the one who realizes it.
7. [EG 3]
You are to thank God equitably for such great grace and goodness .
Don't run out of his grace,
don't waver from his word!
Keep you as his word teaches you.
This increases God's kingdom and also
helps the sick.
8. [EG 4] You should bring good fruit
if you were orthodox.
In love and faithfulness, in shame and discipline,
as you desire such yourself.
In the fear of God, keep yourself fine
and seek God's honor alone, so
that you do not complain to anyone.
9. Whether you do such a thing, that is during the day,
must not be shown.
It now testifies to the common lament '
that trouble never on earth,
also because the world has confessed,
never been such trick' and cunning,
in words and gestures.
10. It is no longer possible to express
the wickedness, sin and shame that
are cruel to God's annoyance,
so now in Germany.
Such sin is brought so high
that the heavens crack for it too,
shaking its bonds.
11. God gave his word so
that we should turn to him.
So Germany turns the paper over, dishonors
its name.
Has become worse than before,
all sin now soars high.
Therefore God will send punishments!
12. Usury, avarice, and deceit
are now praised as art,
adultery, fornication and gluttony
are also well gifted.
False, trickery and cunning, betrayal,
unfaithfulness, falsehood, great rubbish
you now raise a lot.
13. The youth is now being dragged
with mischief and mistakenly cheekily
that they mockingly mocked
what is honest in mischief .
Your clothes have to be nasty.
The woman folk give very evil appearances,
embellished with delicacy.
14. Anyone who does not have
harem pants
that almost hang to the ground
with villi like the devil's Wat,
cannot flaunt politely.
It is such a disgraceful costume,
the devil must have thought it up, so
it will be himself.
15. For whoever Christian looks at such a garment
will lament with sorrow.
His heart is terrified at God's wrath.
Will often say to himself:
Oh God, Germany, you are urgent!
That you must tighten hard
with severe great plagues.
16. All classes are now so utterly corrupt.
Nobody wants to recognize themselves
with a good appearance, but colored in
this way, all call themselves Christians.
And if the divine name is used dearly
for sin, so tremendously,
Germany will run away.
17. What was previously injustice, sin and shame,
is now well praised.
What was previously called lead and tin
is now called hard iron.
All things are so wrong.
Injustice has multiplied very much.
Such does prove the deed.
18. [EG 5] The truth is now suppressed,
nobody wants to hear the truth;
the lie is even finely adorned;
it is often helped with oaths;
thereby God's word is despised,
the truth is also scornfully laughed at,
lies are honored.
19. Seeing then because Germany does not want to
return to God's Word
and piles of sins every day a lot,
it gives him no fight,
so God is a sharp Rut,
send a lot of punishment like a flood
and Germany mores teach.
20. Whoever had eyes and could see
would certainly feel
God's punishment
in heaven, earth, air and wind
.
God makes many signs happen.
Indeed he has something in mind:
Will lead us to repentance.
21. Martinus Luther, God's man,
has often admonished Germany.
It should be abelan of sins,
a great punishment foresees it.
God would punish Germany harshly
for ingratitude for
no ingratitude God spares himself in the word of grace.
22. Wake up, Germany, it is high time,
otherwise you will be hasty,
the punishment will lead you on your throat,
whether it will linger right now.
Indeed, the ax is set
and sharpened to the cut,
what does it matter whether it is missing from yours?
23. [EG 6] God warns daily for and for,
this is what his signs testify,
for God's punishment is at the door;
Germany, let yourself be softened,
repent right
now , because God still offers you his grace
and extends his hand to you.
24. [EG 7] Let this help God like us all,
that we let go of sins,
and lead us to his kingdom,
that we hate injustice.
Lord Jesus Christ, help us now
and give us your spirit so
that we can take your warning.
25. O God grant that the name
does not desecrate you through false teaching!
Pure from your word and teaching are
not turned away.
Your will dampens all the trinkets,
so turned away from the truth,
blinded by devil's cunning.
26. Amen speaks who made this song.
God comfort those who are in need
and soon overthrow the splendor of lies,
so truth always envy,
and shame what is wrong.
Strengthen our faith, Jesus Christ,
when we part.
literature
- Inge Mager , Joachim Stalmann: 145 - Wake up, wake up, you German country . In: Gerhard Hahn , Jürgen Henkys (Hrsg.): Liederkunde zum Evangelisches Gesangbuch . No. 4 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2002, ISBN 3-525-50325-3 , pp. 78–81 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
Web links
References and comments
- ↑ Here the wake-up call is addressed to Christ.
- ↑ Deutsche Lyrik , Volume 3. dtv, p. 189.
- ↑ Deutsche Lyrik , Volume 3. dtv, p. 239.
- ^ Mager / Stalmann, p. 78.
- ↑ Rom 13.11 LUT .
- ↑ 2 Cor 4,6 LUT .
- ↑ Mt 3,8 LUT .
- ↑ See also: Dear Christians, Rejoice Now , verse 14.
- ↑ clothing
- ↑ at court
- ↑ Ps 89,33 LUT .
- ↑ Rev 3,18b LUT .
- ↑ Lk 21.25 LUT .
- ↑ Mt 3,10 LUT .
- ↑ Isa 51:17 LUT .