Wachet Auf in German, usually translated Sleeper’s Awake to make it more polite. Tomorrow is Advent, the day of His arrival. This song seems fitting on a Christmas morning for so many reasons, so I’ll post it on Christmas Eve since you should not be visiting this blog on Christmas morning anyway.
Here’s a translation from the German. To listen, you should let the whole piece download, then give yourself a few minutes of silence to lose yourself into the music. It’s more than a feeling.
Sleepers awake! for the night is flying.
The watchman on your walls is calling “Awake, awake, Jerusalem!”
“Where are you, wise young women, where?
Behold, your bridegroom comes;
Arise and take your lamps!
Prepare yourselves, your love draws near,
he bids you to the marriage feast!”
One lady described her bridesmaids walking down the aisle to this. How utterly fitting.
Here’s a fascinating modernized and translated version for those of you who aren’t “purists.” I love Sissel’s voice, and the pictures are breathtaking too. It takes me back to the Alps.
And here’s a guitar version by Koseikubota. Very restful.
Here’s a beautiful, slow, majestic version:
