Class 1 to Class 4
Der Sonne liebes Licht
Es hellet* mir den Tag
Der Seele Geistesmacht
Sie gibt den Gliedern Kraft
Im Sonnen-Lichtes-Glanz
Verehre ich, o Gott
Die Menschenkraft die Du
In meine Seele mir
So gütig hast gepflanzt
Dass ich kann arbeitsam
Und lernbegierig sein
Von Dir stammt Licht und Kraft
Zu Dir ström’ Lieb und Dank
Rudolf Steiner
The sun with loving light
Makes bright* for me each day
The soul with spirit power
Gives strength unto my limbs
In sunlight shining clear
I reverence, oh God
The strength of humankind
Which thou so graciously
Hast planted in my soul
That I with all my might
May love to work and learn
From thee come light and strength
To thee rise love and thanks
Translation Roland Everett
There are other translations too, but Everett’s is generally held to be the most accurate and poetically satisfying version.
* The second line of the Morning Verse begins with the words “es hellet mir den Tag”, correctly translated as “makes bright for me each day”.
My British colleagues pointed out that this not proper English and decided to replace the phrase with “brightens for me each day”. Incidentally, “es hellet” is not proper German either, because there is no such word as hellen.
The peculiar expression “es hellet” grated on my ears even as a young pupil, and reciting it was a daily minor irritation. I would happily replace it with “erhellet” – the equivalent of ‘brightens’.
In my opinion, one can appreciate Rudolf Steiner’s creativity with language and like the way he shaped it to suit his needs when expressing spiritual facts, admiring the imaginative phrases of his verses and poetry – most especially in his ‘Calendar of the Soul’ – and yet make this minor adjustment.
Though I consider this amendment permissible, I am against all attempts to edit God out of the Morning Verse.
There can be no “moving on from God”, as has been put forward. One moves either towards or away from him.
Waldorf Schools give children the opportunity to develop a relationship with the Spirit of God that is free from the dogma and trauma which, unfortunately, often characterises organised religion.
Parents and teachers ought to treasure this approach, and not seek to prevent it because of religion-related issues in their own biography.
Comments are welcome, so don’t hesitate to share experiences, questions and feedback below.
