reigning

Let's just pretend I didn't skip a day yesterday, ok? And use my constant companion dict.cc to look up some old timey German words from the song of the day, 

Macht hoch die Tür - Göttinger Stadtkantorei

derhalben: apparently a three-syllable way of saying 'so' in German. So.

jauchzen: to cheer, whoop, exult, rejoice, shout for joy! It doesn't sound like a happy word, but it is!

Wonn(e), die: bliss, delight, joy, pleasure, rapture, ecstasy, blissfulness. This one *really* doesn't sound like a happy word, I guess because it reminds me of Wanne, 'tub'...though to be fair I do associate all those things with a nice hot bath.

Anyway, this is a hymn about Jesus coming to reign as king of the world: a translation by Gracia Grindel starts "Fling wide the door, unbar the gate; The King of glory comes in state." It's very rousing and when I hum it to myself it's fast and has a bouncy, martial rhythm. In church...one does not sing it fast. And to be honest I don't quite get why it's an Advent hymn - doesn't it feel more Palm Sunday, or Christ the King? And, well, we aren't so much wishing for a good king to come and solve all the problems of the world any more, are we? I'm more wishing for a bad virus to go away so I can go to church and sing hymns again, anachronistic or not.

There are two more verses than I've included below, but the nice people in Göttingen didn't sing them so I'm leaving them out. You get the idea.

Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit;
Es kommt der Herr der Herrlichkeit,
Ein König aller Königreich,
Ein Heiland aller Welt zugleich,
Der Heil und Leben mit sich bringt;
Derhalben jauchzt, mit Freuden singt:
Gelobet sei mein Gott,
Mein Schöpfer reich von Rat.

Er ist gerecht, ein Helfer wert;
Sanftmütigkeit ist sein Gefährt,
Sein Königskron ist Heiligkeit,
Sein Zepter ist Barmherzigkeit;
All unsre Not zum End er bringt,
Derhalben jauchzt, mit Freuden singt:
Gelobet sei mein Gott,
Mein Heiland groß von Tat.

O wohl dem Land, o wohl der Stadt,
So diesen König bei sich hat.
Wohl allen Herzen insgemein,
Da dieser König ziehet ein.
Er ist die rechte Freudensonn,

Bringt mit sich lauter Freud und Wonn.

Gelobet sei mein Gott,
Mein Tröster früh und spat.

I'm still not getting out of the house enough, but our tree now has both a star and the traditional angel cow on top. The Cow of Glory comes in state! I feel like I'm making some progress on the Christmas front.