O Holy Lord - Kom Hellig Ånd
Kollektivet Lovsang
Translation notes:
Lyrics are best translated thought for thought as much as possible. Word for word is usually a mess, and it's a good idea to avoid well-worn phrases, for once these are over-used they become clichés that have lost the power to stimulate.
"Hellige Ånd / Hellige Ånd" & "Kongenes Konge" are both terms that are important to get right, but their translations don't fit the music. Hellige Ånd is 4 syllables with a / ^^ / rhythm, Hellig Ånd has 3: / ^ /. But the English, "Holy Spirit" has 4 syllables in an iambic pattern / ^ / ^ , while "Holy Ghost" is too old-fashioned to use nowadays, and has wrong associations. Likewise, King of Kings is iambic / ^ / but "Kongenes Konge" goes / ^^ / ^ .
So when choosing a suitable translation I have first rephrased the opening lines. "O Holy Lord,” which preserves the "holy" aspect, and introduces the point that the LORD is that Spirit who is present; The Holy Spirit is God here personally, no less!
I chose "O Holy LORD,” not "Come..." because "come" gives the impression we are bossing God around, which is unfortunate, but having once said O, which is a supplication, when we later sing "Come, Holy Spirit.." this also comes across as a supplication; and of course, now the proper subject of the song: the Holy Spirit, has been invoked by His title.
To fix the rhythm problem of "King of Kings", I moved it to the line before to get it to scan, and transferred the thought-content to the next line.
"To you would I belong" has a very particular meaning or nuance contained in the word-order: "I wish or long to belong to you". But "I would belong to you" implies "..."but I don't" while "To you l would belong" can imply "I wish to" but could imply: ... "but that isn't possible".
The original line reads "I give myself completely to you", which quite obviously has far too many syllables for the line. A shorter form "I wholly give myself, eases the strain but then can be misheard as "holy", and in any case still doesn't solve much. "My self I wholly give" will scan, and by separating "my" and "self" makes a point, but leaves out "to whom or what?"; so it feels both unsatisfactory, incomplete, and what is worse, - sounds banale.
"O" on its own, does not mean the same as "Oh". "O" means "it is you I am addressing", while "Oh" (in this setting,) is a sigh from the heart.
"Hovering", is, of course, a reference to Genesis 1 verse 2.
https://youtu.be/3wNrJISn-vU?si=PBbIQNvJg-EsGANp
O Holy Lord - Kom Hellig Ånd
Kollektivet Lovsang
Translation notes:
Lyrics are best translated thought for thought as much as possible. Word for word is usually a mess, and it's a good idea to avoid well-worn phrases, for once these are over-used they become clichés that have lost the power to stimulate.
"Hellige Ånd / Hellige Ånd" & "Kongenes Konge" are both terms that are important to get right, but their translations don't fit the music. Hellige Ånd is 4 syllables with a / ^^ / rhythm, Hellig Ånd has 3: / ^ /. But the English, "Holy Spirit" has 4 syllables in an iambic pattern / ^ / ^ , while "Holy Ghost" is too old-fashioned to use nowadays, and has wrong associations. Likewise, King of Kings is iambic / ^ / but "Kongenes Konge" goes / ^^ / ^ .
So when choosing a suitable translation I have first rephrased the opening lines. "O Holy Lord,” which preserves the "holy" aspect, and introduces the point that the LORD is that Spirit who is present; The Holy Spirit is God here personally, no less!
I chose "O Holy LORD,” not "Come..." because "come" gives the impression we are bossing God around, which is unfortunate, but having once said O, which is a supplication, when we later sing "Come, Holy Spirit.." this also comes across as a supplication; and of course, now the proper subject of the song: the Holy Spirit, has been invoked by His title.
To fix the rhythm problem of "King of Kings", I moved it to the line before to get it to scan, and transferred the thought-content to the next line.
"To you would I belong" has a very particular meaning or nuance contained in the word-order: "I wish or long to belong to you". But "I would belong to you" implies "..."but I don't" while "To you l would belong" can imply "I wish to" but could imply: ... "but that isn't possible".
The original line reads "I give myself completely to you", which quite obviously has far too many syllables for the line. A shorter form "I wholly give myself, eases the strain but then can be misheard as "holy", and in any case still doesn't solve much. "My self I wholly give" will scan, and by separating "my" and "self" makes a point, but leaves out "to whom or what?"; so it feels both unsatisfactory, incomplete, and what is worse, - sounds banale.
"O" on its own, does not mean the same as "Oh". "O" means "it is you I am addressing", while "Oh" (in this setting,) is a sigh from the heart.
"Hovering", is, of course, a reference to Genesis 1 verse 2.
https://youtu.be/3wNrJISn-vU?si=PBbIQNvJg-EsGANp
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Growth in the Body of Christ - Your Daily Prayer - July 19
The church doesn’t need perfect people—it needs willing ones. Discover how your spiritual gifts can strengthen the body of Christ and why your role in the church truly matters.
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Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Growth in the Body of Christ - Your Daily Prayer - July 19
The church doesn’t need perfect people—it needs willing ones. Discover how your spiritual gifts can strengthen the body of Christ and why your role in the church truly matters.
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