Die Flamme lodert, milder Schein
Durchglänzt den düstern Eichenhain
Und Weihrauchdüfte wallen,
O neig’ein gnadig Ohr zu mir
Und lass des Jünglings Opfer dir,
Du Höchster wohlgefallen!
Sei stets der Freiheit Wehr und Schild!
Dein Lebensgeist durchatme mild
Luft, Erde, Feu’r und Fluten!
Gib mir, als Jüngling und als Greis,
Am väterlichen Herd, O Zeus,
Das Schöne zu dem Guten!
Friedrich von Matthisson (1761-1831)
The flame ablaze, a gentle glow
Shines through the gloomy grove of oaks
And scents of sacred incense(1) waft,
A gracious ear incline to me
And this(2) youngling’s(3) offering receive,
Thou highest one, with pleasure.
Steadfast of freedom shield and defender be!
Your life-spirit gently permeate
Air, earth, fire and floods!
Give me, as youngling(3) and in age,
The beautiful together with the good!
(1) the phrase “sacred incense” may appear to overstate the case – incense, for many of us, is associated with sacred ritual; but not for everybody… and the German word does explicitly include “Weih..” which is associated with something sacred. So, reinforcing that the reference to incense explicitly includes a sacred context makes sense to me.
(2) the German original uses “the” and not “this,” but I interpret this poem as a reflection of an appeal to a higher power, so the personalization of using “this” does make sense to me…
(3) Use “young man” if you prefer; "youngling", in the present context does not refer to a child, but to a young man.
If you do prefer to use "young man"to "youngling, I also suggest that you revise the entire line to read: