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Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden

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"Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden"
Christian hymn
Written1959 (1959), 1966, 1972
Textby Dieter Trautwein translating Huub Oosterhuis
LanguageGerman
Based onMatthew 6:26–30
Meter9 8 9 8
Melodyby Tera de Marez Oyens
Composed1959 (1959)
Published1975 (1975)

"Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden" (As long as there are people on Earth) is a Christian hymn with German text by Dieter Trautwein, translating a 1969 Dutch hymn by Huub Oosterhuis, "Zolang er mensen zijn op aarde". The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals and songbooks.

History

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Oosterhuis wrote the text in Dutch, "Zolang er mensen zijn op aarde"[1] in 1959,[2] when he was a priest for students.[3] The melody was composed by Tera de Marez Oyens the same year.[2][4] Dieter Trautwein's translation from 1966, revised in 1972,[2][4] was included in the German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob as GL 425,[1] in the section "Leben in Gott - Vertrauen und Trost" (Life in God – trust and consolation).[2] It was also printed in the Protestant hymnal of 1995 Evangelisches Gesangbuch, as EG 427.[1] The song is part of many songbooks.[5]

Text, theme and music

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The text is in five stanzas of four lines each which rhyme in Dutch, but not in the translation.[3] It is based on Matthew 6:26–30, about God's care for creations as small as birds and flowers.[1][6] It begins with thanks to God, who is addressed as a personal "du" (You), for having given life to people and fruits.[7] It alludes to the promise from Genesis 8:22: "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."[3] God has nourished birds and made flowers beautiful, as the third stanza says. The second stanza reminds of God's word calling for peace ("solang dein Wort zum Frieden ruft").[7] The fourth stanza addresses God as Light and giver of life, with his Son the bread uniting the believers.[3] The final stanza calls all who owe their life to God to stay in communication.[3]

The melody has been described as simple (schlicht), with a forward-moving steady rhythm. All four short lines are similar.[7] Its irregular dancing beat has been compared to a tango.[3]

The song has been used in the context of preservation of natural environment and peace movement, because the "solang" (as long), often repeated in the text, is a reminder that the state of both the environment and peace are fragile.[7][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden – GL 425 / EG 427". huuboosterhuis.de (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden (L) / Leben in Gott - Vertrauen und Trost". mein-gotteslob.de (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Haag, Ulrich (9 September 2009). "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden (eg 427)". WDR (in German). Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden". Liederdatenbank (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden". evangeliums.net (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden". l4a.org (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d Schneeberger, Ruth (6 August 2017). "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden (GL 425)". SWR (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
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