Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Just a Little While

 



                              Just a little while,
                                   all these cares will pass;
                              Just a little while—
                                   we know this earth won't last;
                              Just a little while,
                                   then loved ones we will meet;
                              For in a little while,
                                   we'll sit at Jesus' feet.

The Watchers 4: The Ghost Within, p.147

Friday, February 16, 2024

Across the Water

 

Photo by Steve Dale, Nov 2023


            Across the water,
               I see the bright lights beckoning,
               Dazzling, colorful, happy, and alluring.

            Yet I'm only here,
               Not there.
            Here is dark and cold and lonely;
               But there is a comfort in its familiarity,
               A kind of solace begot by consistency,
               Fraught with insistence
                       Pressing in all the time.

            Yet, I see the lights across the water.
               How can I get there?
               It's too cold and far to swim.
               No boat have I, no friend, no aide.

            Yet across the water,
               bright lights beckon with bold beacon.
               Who will bring me to that welcoming, warm abode?
               Is there a path, a trail, a road
                   so my angst might weaken?
               A course to bring me there
                      —Across the water?

            Yet still I sit in silence,
               staring across the water.
                       Wondering.

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

The Quiet Dignity of Appalachia

 

Photo by The Appalachian Project

        There is a quiet dignity about the mountains of Appalachia.  An old, settled sort of grandness that comes with age and maturity.  Other mountains may be younger with sharper peaks and deeper valleys, but Appalachia doesn't have to show off.  She's not a youngster trying to make a name for herself.  She has the quiet dignity of an elegant majesty like an old lace doily draped over a family heirloom table.   And just as in your grandmother's old parlor, there comes a stillness in the Appalachian hills.  The stillness oozes from every creek, every rivulet, and every stone in each and every holler.  And all the more so when nature pulls the grey blanket of fog over herself to settle down for a well earned early Winter rest.


Thursday, December 15, 2022

Night Is Still O'er Ancient Israel

 


New English words to the Russian Carol, Ночь тиха над Палестиной "Noch tikha nad Palestinoi"  ("Quiet Night Over Palestine")

You can see the original Russian version and
my line-by-line English translation here:  Ночь тиха над Палестиной


1.
Night is still o'er ancient Israel,
Earth is tired and slumbers on.
Mountains, forests, hills, and valleys—
Dark of night has hid them all.

2.
There in Bethlehem so wearied,
All the lights were finally out;
Only in remotest pastures,
Shepherds kept their night lookout.

3.
They knew nothing nor suspected;
So to pass the weary night,
Seated then they started talking,
With the comp'ny of firelight.

4.
Suddenly th'angelic voice came;
Trembling took the men with fear;
And in robes of snow-white brilliance,
[An] Angel of the Lord appeared.

5.
"Do not fear nor yet be anxious:
From the Lord in Heav'n Above,
Come I now with revelation
That your hearts rejoice in Love.

6.
"Mercy to the earth God sends now:
Christ, Himself, the Sovereign King.
Sinful earth He comes to ransom—
Gives Himself as offering!"
 
7.
(Repeat verse 1)
Night is still o'er ancient Israel,
Earth is tired and slumbers on.
Mountains, forests, hills, and valleys—
Dark of night has hid them all.
 
 
 
 
Listen to three versions of the original song sung in Russian:






Wednesday, December 14, 2022

The Angels Sing




New English words to the Russian Carol, В Ночном Саду "V Nochnom Sadu"  ("In the Night Garden")
Original words and music by Vladimir Shishkarev.

You can see the original Russian version and
my English translation here: В Ночном Саду (In the Night Garden).

Lead sheet is found below.


1.
In Bethlehem upon a lonely night,
  Jehovah sent His Son,
The little Babe, so helpless in our sight—
  Salvation then begun.
  
  Chorus--
    The Angels sing, announcing Christ the King,
       The Wonders of His Love.
    Now come and see this blessed mystery—
       Immanuel from Above.

2.
The shepherds kept their flocks in fields at night
   All seated on the ground.
The angel of the Lord caused them great fright,
   The glory shone around.
  
  Chorus--
    The Angels sing, all glory to the King,
       To God who reigns on high.
    And peace on earth, the notice of his birth,
       His favor giv'n hereby.

3.
At once the shepherds left their flocks and ran
   To see this glorious sight.
The Babe was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid
   In manger on that night.
  
  Chorus--
    So let us sing, proclaiming Christ as King,
       The Wonders of His Love.
    Then go and tell that God with us does dwell—
       Immanuel from Above.
    


Listen to three versions of the original song sung in Russian: