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lutheranhymns) wrote2021-04-12 10:56 pm
lutheranhymns) wrote2021-04-12 10:56 pm
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#497: Strengthen for Service, Lord
This is a translation by committee from the liturgy of ancient Christian churches of India/Asia. Neat. It asks God to bless all the parts of our body that have participated in worship: hands, ears, tongues, eyes, feet. Again, cool.
What's jarring about this one is the end of the first verse. "let the ears that heard your word to falsehood never waken." I get praying to keep falsehood out of our ears. But the use of the word "waken" makes me think that currently, we're sleeping, and we shouldn't wake up and be exposed to the skepticism of the real world. Which...I'm pretty sure was not the desired effect. But this is a case where I would settle for a worse translation/rhyme scheme to avoid the implication that "actually no our beliefs are just dreams."
What's jarring about this one is the end of the first verse. "let the ears that heard your word to falsehood never waken." I get praying to keep falsehood out of our ears. But the use of the word "waken" makes me think that currently, we're sleeping, and we shouldn't wake up and be exposed to the skepticism of the real world. Which...I'm pretty sure was not the desired effect. But this is a case where I would settle for a worse translation/rhyme scheme to avoid the implication that "actually no our beliefs are just dreams."