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Multiple exclamation points! Pretty exciting for something translated from 1600s Latin!
Is this the only translation?
...Maybe. Some of my old choir sang an arrangement of this (I think it was just a tenor/bass version) a few times, so I'm sort of familiar with that. The lyrics there are basically the same with a couple changes, so I'm wondering if this version got cleaned up to make it more contemporary? But it doesn't have the "alt." tag, so who knows.
The most interesting contrast is the fourth verse. Ours is "So when next he comes in glory and the world is wrapped in fear, he will shield us with his mercy and with words of love draw near." The other one is "So when next he comes in glory, wrapping all the world in fear, may he then as our defender on the clouds of heaven appear."
I feel like, if Jesus is showing up in glory and the world is experiencing fear as a consequence, the latter imagery ("defender") is probably a more thematically appropriate translation than "mercy" and "love." But who knows? There's also a subtle difference between "the world is wrapped in fear" and "wrapping all the world in fear": the former doesn't say it's Jesus who's necessarily bringing the fear, the latter definitely does. So again, a little more vengeful-God imagery.
Is this the only translation?
...Maybe. Some of my old choir sang an arrangement of this (I think it was just a tenor/bass version) a few times, so I'm sort of familiar with that. The lyrics there are basically the same with a couple changes, so I'm wondering if this version got cleaned up to make it more contemporary? But it doesn't have the "alt." tag, so who knows.
The most interesting contrast is the fourth verse. Ours is "So when next he comes in glory and the world is wrapped in fear, he will shield us with his mercy and with words of love draw near." The other one is "So when next he comes in glory, wrapping all the world in fear, may he then as our defender on the clouds of heaven appear."
I feel like, if Jesus is showing up in glory and the world is experiencing fear as a consequence, the latter imagery ("defender") is probably a more thematically appropriate translation than "mercy" and "love." But who knows? There's also a subtle difference between "the world is wrapped in fear" and "wrapping all the world in fear": the former doesn't say it's Jesus who's necessarily bringing the fear, the latter definitely does. So again, a little more vengeful-God imagery.
