Prayer for the Greening Of Love

by Angier Brock

Last summer, a friend who is a composer asked if I would make a new translation for her of a 19^th- century Austrian carol, “Still, Still, Still.” Other English translations are readily available; you may know or have recordings of them. However, they typically use only three of the six original verses, and my friend wanted four. Here then is the result of that project, along with a few questions for reflection, perhaps to use on your own or around the dinner table with others, as we move into Advent toward Christmas.  

Still, still, still,
The winter night grows still.
Vesper bells have all finished ringing
Warm in the eaves, birds hush their singing,
Still, still, still,
The winter night grows still.
 Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Sleep well in your mother’s arms.
Stars of the Magi shine high above you.
Angels are singing. Oh, how they love you!
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Sleep well in your mother’s arms.
 Joy, joy, joy,
Take joy in the greening of Love.
God comes to live our human story,
Comes as a child, relinquishing glory,
Joy, joy, joy,
Take joy in the greening of Love.               
 Dream, dream, dream,
Now dream in the fullness of time.
No need tonight for worry or warning.
Winter’s sun will rise in the morning.
Dream, dream, dream,
Dream now in the fullness of time.
                                                 ~Angier Brock, translated from the German © 2014

  Questions:

• What in your life calls you to grow still?
• Where do you find comfort and security? Who or what makes you feel well loved?
• Where in your own life do you sense the possibility of a “greening,” a hint of growth, even if it remains, for the moment, out of sight, perhaps underground?
• What dreams do you have? Is there a step you could take this week or this season that would bring “the fullness of time” more fully into your life or the lives of those around you?

Though there not an exact syllable-for-note correspondence, here’s a lovely piano arrangement of the traditional “Still, Still, Still” tune.