The Resurrection: Its Fruit and Comfort

For the Easter season, we re-post a translation from last year, one of Greiffenberg’s sonnets on the resurrection.

Rise even now in me, my Lord, through faith;
rise in my heart's depth with your power,
that I give witness to the world that you have risen!
Let me, proclaiming you with zeal, use all my breath,
and let your Sun of grace now rise.
Roll every error-stone from heart and mouth,
and I'll confess you freely, boldly, every hour.
Let no created thing steal my heart's comfort.

Stay with me in this world, for it is evening.
Give honey from the rock, and sweetness from your wounds.
I feel my heart's on fire from your words;
you rouse and also satisfy desire.
My heart, closed to all but you, my Lord,
rejoices in your risen might and presence.

Click here to read this sonnet in the original German.

On the Holy and Glorious Resurrection of Christ

Ha! Victor prince, sovereign of all the world,

what was that stone to you? A feather in the wind.

What are the world’s great structures in the face of Heaven’s power?

What is a patch of earth to Him who holds the world?

Can He who turns the sun-wheel not turn the stone as well?

(By choice and chance—not from necessity—

an angel happened by and swiftly rolled the stone away.)

Christ could transform the tomb into sheer air or sky.

If Pharos, Rhodes, Memphis, all ancient wonders,

great Tiber’s city, Babylon, and Atlas should stand

at once upon his grave, his strength would be enough

to blow them all away with just one breath.

He buries in his grave the whole world’s sin

and wills that everyone should live with him.

Click here to read this sonnet in the original German. [This link connects to a different site than the one we used for last week’s sonnet.You’ll have to scroll down past the information about the source collection to get to the poem.]

The Resurrection: Its Fruit and Comfort

Rise even now in me, my Lord, through faith;

rise in my heart’s depth with your power,

that I give witness to the world that you have risen!

Let me, proclaiming you with zeal, use all my breath,

and let your Sun of grace now rise.

Roll every error-stone from heart and mouth,

and I’ll confess you freely, boldly, every hour.

Let no created thing steal my heart’s comfort.

Stay with me in this world, for it is evening.

Give honey from the rock, and sweetness from your wounds.

I feel my heart’s on fire from your words;

you rouse and also satisfy desire.

My heart, closed to all but you, my Lord,

rejoices in your risen might and presence.

Click here to read this sonnet in the original German.

On the Glad and Glorious Resurrection of Christ (2)

Angels, blow your trumpets! Seraphim ring out and sing

Jubilate, jubilate you happy heavenly choir!

Sun and stars, shine and dance before your conquering hero!

Mountain and hill, cliff and crag, leap in glad rejoicing!

You most blessed people, who have won salvation,

praise, honour, thank, and lift on high

the one who rose and raises you from death to Heaven’s choir.

His resurrection restores to you the innocence of Paradise.

Shall sin’s might overpower the Almighty

who is Himself eternity? No, sin must submit.

Christ’s sea of righteousness puts out, not merely sparks, but the whole fire.

The long longed-for saviour has destroyed all horrors.

What will the World, Death, Hell or Devil wrest from a Christian?

They are disturbed, destroyed: the Saviour reigns in heaven.

On The Glad and Glorious Resurrection of Christ

Earth could not hold the one whose mouth

once spoke her into being. How could there be decay

while the Spirit of the Highest nurtures Life?

How could the Sun’s Source cool the sun’s heat?

Through rays of light from sun’s split centre

the Prince of Life emerges from the realm of Death.

His mere breath can blow away great Atlas.

His might prevails through all the earth.

What is the death of one small mouse to you,

strong Lion, who overcame the Dragon and the Tyger,

the hosts of Sin and Hell? You lay down in the grave

from where we find, not death, but life.

Your rising opened up my not-yet-opened grave.

You brought to mortals, immortality.