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Discussions: Texts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Translations: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4


Text for BWV 118 (Motet)
O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht

Original German Text

English Translation

CORO

O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht
mein Hort, mein Trost, mein Zuversicht,
auf Erden bin ich nur ein Gast
und drückt mich sehr der Sünden Last.

O Jesus Christ, light of my life,
my refuge, my comfort, my assurance,
I am but a guest upon earth
and the burden of sin weighs greatly upon me.

Auf deinen Abschied Herr ich trau
darauf mein letzte Heimfahrt bau.
Tu mir die Himmelstür weit auf
wenn ich beschließ mein Lebenslauf.

In your departure I do trust,
upon this I base my final journey home.
Open wide before me heaven's gate
when I conclude my course of life.


COMPOSED: 1736/1737 (Leipzig) for an unknown occasion, likely a funeral
LIBRETTO: unknown, possibly Martin Behm. stanzas 1, and 11 (later added) of O Jesu Christ, mein's Lebens Licht (1608)
TRANSLATION: 2023 © Tobin Schmuck, NYC
Print by permission only, please. please. Click here.

Cantata BWV 118: O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht for Funeral (1736-1737)
Discography: Details & Complete Recordings
Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

BWV 118 Text: German-1 | German-6 | German-7
Translations: English-1 | English-3I | English-3P | English-6 | English-10
Catalan-1 | Chinese-2 | Dutch-0 | Dutch-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Hungarian-2 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-2 | Norwegian-1 | Polish-2 | Portuguese-2 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 [BWV 118b] | Spanish-2
Chorale Text: O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht [BWV 118/1]

English Translations (English-10): Index by BWV Number | Index by Title | Index by Event | Note on English Translations


Texts & Translations: Main Page | Cantatas BWV 1-50 | Cantatas BWV 51-100 | Cantatas BWV 101-150 | Cantatas BWV 151-200 | Cantatas BWV 201-224 | Other Vocal BWV 225-249 | Chorales BWV 250-438 | Geistliche Lieder BWV 439-507 | AMN BWV 508-524 | Other Vocal 1081-1164 | BWV Anh | Chorale Texts | Emblemata | Sources | Poets & Composers
Discussions: Texts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Translations: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4




 

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Last update: Tuesday, December 12, 2023 14:09