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
Several English translations of the First Morning Verse exist. Roland Everett’s version is generally regarded as the most faithful to the original while preserving its poetic character.
The First Morning Verse was given by Rudolf Steiner in September 1919 for the younger classes of the newly founded Waldorf School.
Spoken together at the beginning of each school day, it gently turns the children’s attention towards the world around them, their own inner life and the work that lies before them.
Rather than explaining ideas intellectually, the verse speaks in images. It begins with the visible sun whose loving light brightens the day, then turns inward to the invisible strength that enables us to move, work, learn and grow. Finally, it ends in gratitude for these gifts.
The lines are not intended as something to be analysed. Like all great poetry, they work quietly through rhythm, repetition and imagery, and their deeper meaning may only unfold much later in life.
The verse speaks openly of God because Rudolf Steiner understood education to rest upon a spiritual view of the human being.
Whether or not one shares that outlook, it forms the context in which the Morning Verse was written and helps explain both its language and its imagery.
Speaking the verse in its original form therefore seems to me the most honest approach.
More in this blog article:
A Note on the Translation
The second line begins with the unusual German expression Es hellet mir den Tag, faithfully translated as Makes bright for me each day.
Some English schools replace this with Brightens for me each day, which sounds more natural to our ears.
Curiously, Steiner’s original wording is itself unusual. The verb hellet does not belong to standard German usage, and many German-speaking pupils (including myself) noticed its peculiarity. As a child, I often wished he had written erhellet, the equivalent of “brightens”.
For that reason, I can understand translators who choose the more familiar expression. At the same time, I appreciate Steiner’s willingness to shape language in unusual ways when expressing spiritual realities, something found throughout his poetry and especially in the Calendar of the Soul.
Preserving the Original Text
Over the years, some schools have suggested removing references to God from the Morning Verse in order to make it more universally acceptable.
I do not think this is the right approach.
The Morning Verse is not simply a beautiful piece of poetry; it expresses Rudolf Steiner’s understanding of the relationship between the human being, the world and the divine.
Removing God from the text changes that relationship and, with it, the meaning of the verse itself.
One need not agree with Steiner’s worldview in order to recognise the importance of presenting his words faithfully. Parents and teachers are best served by knowing clearly the spiritual foundation upon which Waldorf education was built.
In my experience, this openness encourages understanding far more readily than attempting to alter or conceal the verse’s origins.
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A WALDORF DIARY – the classroom log that makes the art of Waldorf teaching visible
