The Heavenly Life (Das himmlische Leben)

We enjoy the heavenly pleasures,
so can dispense with earthly things!
No worldly turmoil is to be heard in heaven!
Everything lives in gentlest repose!

We lead an angelic life!
We are, however, at times quite merry!
We dance and jump,
we skip and sing!

Saint Peter in heaven looks on!
Saint John drains the blood of the little lamb!
Herod, the butcher looks out for it!
We lead a patient, innocent, patient,
a lovable lamb to its death!

Saint Luke slaughters the ox
without giving it thought or mind!
Wine costs not a penny in heaven’s cellars!
The angels, they bake the bread!

Tasty herbs of every kind grow in heaven’s gardens,
good asparagus, beans and whatever we desire,
Whole dishfuls are ready for us.

Good apples, good pears and good grapes!
The gardeners, they let you have anything!
Do you want roebuck or hare?
In the middle of the street they come running to us!

Should, per chance, a day of fasting occur,
all the fish immediately swim up to us with joy,
there’s Saint Peter already running
with his net and bait
to the heavenly fishpond!
Saint Martha must be the cook!

No music on earth
can compare with ours.
Eleven thousand maidens
are bold enough to dance!
Even Saint Ursula herself laughs at the sight.
No music on earth
can compare with ours.
Cecilia with her relatives
are excellent court musicians!
The angelic voices
delight the senses!
So that everything for joy awakens.

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