Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud (Sommergesang)
The Beauty of God's Creation
The poet invites the heart to observe the vibrant life and beauty of the summer world as a reflection of God's creative goodness.
Go out, my heart, and find joy in this beautiful summer among the gifts of your God; look at the beauty of the lovely gardens and see how they have decked themselves out for me and for you, how they have decked themselves out. The trees are thick with leaves; the earth covers its dust in a green dress; narcissus and tulip dress themselves far more finely than Solomon's silk, than Solomon's silk. The lark soars up into the air, the little dove flies out from its cleft and heads into the woods; the richly gifted nightingale delights and fills with her song mountain, hill, valley, and fields, mountain, hill, valley, and fields. The hen leads her little brood out, the stork builds and lives in his house, the little swallow feeds her young; the swift stag, the light-footed roe is glad and comes from his den leaping into the deep grass, leaping into the deep grass. The little brooks rush through the sand and paint their banks with myrtles thick with shade; the meadows lie close beside them and ring all through with the glad cries of the sheep and their shepherds, of the sheep and their shepherds. The tireless swarm of bees flies back and forth, searching here and there for their fine honey food; the strong sap of the sweet vine brings new strength and vigor every day into its frail shoot, into its frail shoot.1 The wheat grows with power; young and old rejoice over it and praise the great goodness of the One who so abundantly refreshes and endows the human heart with so many gifts, the human heart.
From Earthly Beauty to Heavenly Glory
Contemplating the beauty of the earth leads the poet to long for the even greater splendor of the heavenly realm.
I myself can't and won't stay still; the great God's great doing wakes all my senses; I sing along when everything sings, and let what rings out to the Highest stream from my heart, stream from my heart. Ah, I think, if you're so beautiful here and you let it go so sweetly for us on this poor earth—what will it be after this world, there in heaven's rich pavilion and golden castle, and golden castle! What high delight, what brilliant light must be in Christ's garden! How it must sound there, where so many thousand seraphim, with tireless mouth and voice, sing their Hallelujah, sing their Hallelujah. Oh, if only I were there!
A Prayer for Grace and Fruitfulness
The poet prays to be transformed into a fruitful plant in God's garden, seeking grace to live for His glory both now and in eternity.
Oh, if I already stood—ah, sweet God—before your throne and carried my palms: then I would exalt the praise of your name as the angels do, with a thousand beautiful psalms, with a thousand beautiful psalms. Yet even so, because I still bear this body's yoke here, I won't keep completely silent either; my heart shall keep on, in this place and every place, turning toward your praise, turning toward your praise. Help me and bless my spirit with a blessing that flows from heaven, so that I may bloom for you without ceasing; grant that the summer of your grace may, early and late, bring forth many fruits of faith in my soul—many fruits of faith. Make room in me for your Spirit, so that I may become a good tree for you, and let me put down roots.✦✦ Grant that, for your glory, I may remain a fair flower of your garden and a plant of yours—remain a plant of yours.✦ Choose me for Paradise, and let me flourish in body and soul until my final journey; then I will serve you and your honor alone, and no one else, here and hereafter forever—here and hereafter forever.
Read the original Latin
Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud in dieser lieben Sommerzeit an deines Gottes Gaben; schau an der schönen Gärten Zier und siehe, wie sie mir und dir sich ausgeschmücket haben, sich ausgeschmücket haben.
Die Bäume stehen voller Laub, das Erdreich decket seinen Staub mit einem grünen Kleide; Narzissus und die Tulipan, die ziehen sich viel schöner an als Salomonis Seide, als Salomonis Seide.
Die Lerche schwingt sich in die Luft, das Täublein fliegt aus seiner Kluft und macht sich in die Wälder; die hochbegabte Nachtigall ergötzt und füllt mit ihrem Schall Berg, Hügel, Tal und Felder, Berg, Hügel, Tal und Felder.
Die Glucke führt ihr Völklein aus, der Storch baut und bewohnt sein Haus, das Schwälblein speist die Jungen, der schnelle Hirsch, das leichte Reh ist froh und kommt aus seiner Höh ins tiefe Gras gesprungen, ins tiefe Gras gesprungen.
Die Bächlein rauschen in dem Sand und malen sich an ihrem Rand mit schattenreichen Myrten; die Wiesen liegen hart dabei und klingen ganz vom Lustgeschrei der Schaf und ihrer Hirten, der Schaf und ihrer Hirten.
Die unverdrossne Bienenschar fliegt hin und her, sucht hier und da ihr edle Honigspeise; des süßen Weinstocks starker Saft bringt täglich neue Stärk und Kraft in seinem schwachen Reise, in seinem schwachen Reise.
Der Weizen wächset mit Gewalt; darüber jauchzet jung und alt und rühmt die große Güte des, der so überfließend labt und mit so manchem Gut begabt das menschliche Gemüte, das menschliche Gemüte.
Ich selber kann und mag nicht ruhn, des großen Gottes großes Tun erweckt mir alle Sinnen; ich singe mit, wenn alles singt, und lasse, was dem Höchsten klingt, aus meinem Herzen rinnen, aus meinem Herzen rinnen.
Ach, denk ich, bist du hier so schön und lässt du's uns so lieblich gehn auf dieser armen Erden: was will doch wohl nach dieser Welt dort in dem reichen Himmelszelt und güldnen Schlosse werden, und güldnen Schlosse werden!
Welch hohe Lust, welch heller Schein wird wohl in Christi Garten sein! Wie muss es da wohl klingen, da so viel tausend Seraphim mit unverdrossnem Mund und Stimm ihr Halleluja singen, ihr Halleluja singen.
O wär ich da! O stünd ich schon, ach süßer Gott, vor deinem Thron und trüge meine Palmen: so wollt ich nach der Engel Weis erhöhen deines Namens Preis mit tausend schönen Psalmen, mit tausend schönen Psalmen.
Doch gleichwohl will ich, weil ich noch hier trage dieses Leibes Joch, auch nicht gar stille schweigen; mein Herze soll sich fort und fort an diesem und an allem Ort zu deinem Lobe neigen, zu deinem Lobe neigen.
Hilf mir und segne meinen Geist mit Segen, der vom Himmel fleußt, dass ich dir stetig blühe; gib, dass der Sommer deiner Gnad in meiner Seele früh und spat viel Glaubensfrüchte ziehe, viel Glaubensfrüchte ziehe.
Mach in mir deinem Geiste Raum, dass ich dir werd ein guter Baum, und lass mich Wurzel treiben. Verleihe, dass zu deinem Ruhm ich deines Gartens schöne Blum und Pflanze möge bleiben, und Pflanze möge bleiben.
Erwähle mich zum Paradeis und lass mich bis zur letzten Reis an Leib und Seele grünen, so will ich dir und deiner Ehr allein und sonsten keinem mehr hier und dort ewig dienen, hier und dort ewig dienen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.7.17-Matt.7.19;Luke.6.43-Luke.6.44 — So every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces bad fruit. Matt.7.18 — A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit. Matt.7.19 — Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Luke.6.43 — For no good tree bears rotten fruit, nor again does a rotten tree bear good fruit. Luke.6.44 — For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a bramble bush.
- ↩1Cor.3.16;John.14.16-John.14.17 — Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? John.14.16 — And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. John.14.17 — the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he abides with you and will be in you.
- ↩Isa.61.3;Song.2.1-Song.2.2;John.15.1-John.15.5 — To grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; and they shall be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to be adorned. Song.2.1 — I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys. Song.2.2 — As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters. John.15.1 — I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. John.15.2 — Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit. John.15.3 — Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. John.15.4 — Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in me. John.15.5 — I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.
Notes
- 1 ↩Reise here is the older form of Reis, ‘shoot/sprig’ of the vine, not ‘journey’; the strong sap feeds the vine’s own weak new growth.
Paul Gerhardt Hymns (selected from Praxis Pietatis Melica) companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
- A visible streak of completed offices, so the rhythm compounds instead of collapsing