"Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden" (As long as there are people on Earth) is a Christian hymn with German text by Dieter Trautwein, translating a 1969 Dutch hymn by Huub Oosterhuis. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals and songbooks.
| "Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden" | |
|---|---|
| Christian hymn | |
| Written | 1959 (1959), 1966, 1972 |
| Text | by Dieter Trautwein translating Huub Oosterhuis |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Matthew 6:26–30 |
| Meter | 9 8 9 8 |
| Melody | by Tera de Marez Oyens |
| Composed | 1959 (1959) |
| Published | 1975 (1975) |
Oosterhuis wrote the text in Dutch, "Zolang er mensen zijn op aarde"[1] in 1959,[2] when he was a priest for students.[3] The melody was composed by Tera de Marez Oyens the same year.[2][4] Dieter Trautwein's translation from 1966, revised in 1972,[2][4] was included in the German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob as GL 425,[1] in the section "Leben in Gott - Vertrauen und Trost" (Life in God – trust and consolation).[2] It was also printed in the Protestant hymnal of 1995 Evangelisches Gesangbuch, as EG 427.[1] The song is part of many songbooks.[5]
The text is in five stanzas of four lines each which rhyme in Dutch, but not in the translation.[3] It is based on Matthew 6:26–30, about God's care for creations as small as birds and flowers.[1][6] It begins with thanks to God, who is addressed as a personal "du" (You), for having given life to people and fruits.[7] It alludes to the promise from Genesis 8:22: "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."[3] God has nourished birds and made flowers beautiful, as the third stanza says. The second stanza reminds of God's word calling for peace ("solang dein Wort zum Frieden ruft").[7] The fourth stanza addresses God as Light and giver of life, with his Son the bread uniting the believers.[3] The final stanza calls all who owe their life to God to stay in communication.[3]
The melody has been described as simple (schlicht), with a forward-moving steady rhythm. All four short lines are similar.[7] Its irregular dancing beat has been compared to a tango.[3]
The song has been used in the context of preservation of natural environment and peace movement, because the "solang" (as long), often repeated in the text, is a reminder that the state of both the environment and peace are fragile.[7][3]
Neues Geistliches Lied | |
|---|---|
| Songs |
|
| Oratorio |
|
| Authors and composers |
|
| Performers |
|
| Related |
|