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Cantata BWV 5
Wo soll ich fliehen hin?
English Translation in Parallel Format
Cantata BWV 5 - Where should I flee

Event: Chorale Cantata for the 19th Sunday after Trinity
Readings: Epistle: Ephesians 4: 22-28; Gospel: Matthew 9: 1-8
Text: Johann Heermann (Mvts. 1, 7); Anon (Mvts. 2-6)
Chorale Text: Wo soll ich fliehen hin

Biblical quotations in green font, chorales in purple

 

Original German Text

 

English Translation

1

Coro

1

Chorus [S, A, T, B]

 

Oboe I/II, Violino I/II, Viola, Tromba da tirarsi col Soprano, Continuo

 

Wo soll ich fliehen hin,
Weil ich beschweret bin
Mit viel und großen Sünden?
Wo soll ich Rettung finden?
Wenn alle Welt herkäme,
Mein Angst sie nicht wegnähme.

 

Where should I flee
since I am weighed down
by my many grievious sins?
Where should I find rescue?
If everybody in the world came to me,
they would not take away my anguish.

       

2

Recitativo B

2

Recitative [Bass]

 

Continuo

   
 

Der Sünden Wust hat mich nicht nur befleckt,
Er hat vielmehr den ganzen Geist bedeckt,
Gott müßte mich als unrein von sich treiben;
Doch weil ein Tropfen heilges Blut
So große Wunder tut,
Kann ich noch unverstoßen bleiben.
Die Wunden sind ein offnes Meer,
Dahin ich meine Sünden senke,
Und wenn ich mich zu diesem Strome lenke,
So macht er mich von meinen Flecken leer.

 

The mess of my sins has not only stained me,
it has rather covered my whole soul,
God would have to drive me away from him as something unclean.
But since a drop of his sacred blood
does such great wonders,
I am still able to stay unrejected.
His wounds are an open sea
in which I sink my sins
and if I make my way to these waters,
they make me clean from my stains.

       

3

Aria T

3

Aria [Tenor]

 

Viola solo, Continuo

   
 

Ergieße dich reichlich, du göttliche Quelle,
Ach, walle mit blutigen Strömen auf mich!
Es fühlet mein Herze die tröstliche Stunde,
Nun sinken die drückenden Lasten zu Grunde,
Es wäschet die sündlichen Flecken von sich.

 

Pour yourself out abundantly, you divine spring,
ah!, flow over me with streams of blood!
My heart feels the hour of consolation,
now my crushing burdens sink to the ground,
the stains of sin are washed away from me.

       

4

Recitativo A

4

Recitativo [Alto]

 

Oboe I, Continuo

   
 

Mein treuer Heiland tröstet mich,
Es sei verscharrt in seinem Grabe,
Was ich gesündigt habe;
Ist mein Verbrechen noch so groß,
Er macht mich frei und los.
Wenn Gläubige die Zuflucht bei ihm finden,
Muß Angst und Pein
Nicht mehr gefährlich sein
Und alsobald verschwinden;
Ihr Seelenschatz, ihr höchstes Gut
Ist Jesu unschätzbares Blut;
Es ist ihr Schutz vor Teufel,
Tod und Sünden,
In dem sie überwinden.

 

My faithful saviour comforts me,
buried in his grave
are the sins I have committed;
however great my offence,
he sets me free and at liberty.
If believers find refuge with him,
anguish and suffering
can present no more danger
and soon disappear;
Their soul's treasure, their greatest good
is Jesus' priceless blood;
This is their protection from the devil, death and sin,
in this they are victorious.

       

5

Aria B

5

Aria [Bass]

 

Tromba, Oboe I/II, Violino I all' unisono, Violino II, Viola, Continuo

 

Verstumme, Höllenheer,
Du machst mich nicht verzagt!
Ich darf dies Blut dir zeigen,
So musst du plötzlich schweigen,
Es ist in Gott gewagt.

 

Be dumbfounded, you hosts of hell,
you do not make me disheartened!
I have only to show this blood to you,
and you have to be quiet at once,
my courage depends on God.

       

6

Recitativo S

6

Recitative [Soprano]

 

Continuo

   
 

Ich bin ja nur das kleinste Teil der Welt,
Und da des Blutes edler Saft
Unendlich große Kraft
Bewährt erhält,
Dass jeder Tropfen, so auch noch so klein,
Die ganze Welt kann rein
Von Sünden machen,
So lass dein Blut
Ja nicht an mir verderben,
Es komme mir zugut,
Dass ich den Himmel kann ererben.

 

I am indeeed only the smallest part of the world,
and since the noble sap of this blood
contains infinitely great power
that has been tried and tested
so that each drop , however small,
can make the whole world
pure from sins,
then let your blood
not lose its power for me,
may it benefit me
so that I can inherit heaven.

       

7

Choral

7

Chorale [S, A, T, B]

 

Violino I e Oboe I/II e Tromba da tirarsi col Soprano, Violino II coll'Alto, Viola col Tenore, Continuo

 

Führ auch mein Herz und Sinn
Durch deinen Geist dahin,
Dass ich mög alles meiden,
Was mich und dich kann scheiden,
Und ich an deinem Leibe
Ein Gliedmaß ewig bleibe.

 

Guide then my heart and mind
through your Spirit
so that I may avoid everything
that can separate me and you
and in your body
may I always remain a member.

       

This Translation in Interlinear Format + Note on the Text

English Translation by Francis Browne (March 2004)

Contributed by Francis Browne (August 2009)

Cantata BWV 5: Wo soll ich fliehen hin? for 19th Sunday after Trinity (1724)
Discography: Details & Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements
Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

BWV 5 Text: German-1 | German-2 | German-6 | German-7 | NBA Text
Translations: English-1 | English-3I | English-3P | English-6 | English-10 | English-14
Arabic-1 | Catalan-1 | Chinese-2 | Dutch-5 | Dutch-2 | Dutch-3 | French-1 | French-4 | French-5 | French-6 | Hebrew-1 | Hungarian-1 | Indonesian-1 | Italian-2 | Norwegian-1 | Polish-1 | Polish-2 | Portuguese-2 | Russian-1 | Russian-3 | Spanish-1 | Spanish-2 | Spanish-7 | Spanish/English-8
Chorale Text: Wo soll ich fliehen hin [BWV 5/1,7]

English Translations in Interlinear/Parallel Format (English-3): Sorted by BWV Number | Sorted by Title | Sorted 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: Monday, January 09, 2023 14:25