thoughts under the moon

I’ve been thinking about a place to sort my thoughts about peace and justice, collect knowledge and opinions, share my ideas and find people to connect with for a long time now. Here it finally is. If you want to know more look under ‚about‘ or drop me a line.

This is a work in progress. Not only because of limited time and resources but because it is set up as a place to grow. I hope it will grow in volume. I hope it will grow to discuss more subjects. I hope it will grow to be more educated about and sensitive for new and/or different viewpoints. And I hope it will grow to make a difference in my life at least - hopefully more.

Obviously - giving that it is the end of February 2024 - one major topic will be Palestine. But there is a lot of other regions and peoples, conflicts and injustices. And very few are as broadly studied, well documented and painfully intimately shown by first hand witnesses. So there will be something about Kongo and Sudan and Ukraine and Syria and …but it will take time and help to educate me. So be patient or better: drop me a line with recommendations on what to read or watch on other topics.

I want to close with Matthias Claudius. I’m German. And most (at least older) Germans know his ‚Abendlied‘ - most people know it by ‚Der Mond ist aufgegangen‘. I think the topics - although not obviously - are fitting for this blog: the moon we all live under; our limited points of view and ability to see the whole picture; the simple serenity of a room to spent the night in; the vanities of our lives; the awareness that we are not able to control and fix stuff by our own; the inevitability of our death; our human fragility; and finally our ability to care for our pitiful fellow human beings. Good night!

---

Abendlied

Der Mond ist aufgegangen
Die goldnen Sternlein prangen
Am Himmel hell und klar:
Der Wald steht schwarz und schweiget,
Und aus den Wiesen steiget
Der weiße Nebel wunderbar.

Wie ist die Welt so stille,
Und in der Dämmrung Hülle
So traulich und so hold!
Als eine stille Kammer,
Wo ihr des Tages Jammer
Verschlafen und vergessen sollt.

Seht ihr den Mond dort stehen?
Er ist nur halb zu sehen,
Und ist doch rund und schön.
So sind wohl manche Sachen,
Die wir getrost belachen,
Weil unsre Augen sie nicht sehn.

Wir stolze Menschenkinder
Sind eitel arme Sünder,
Und wissen gar nicht viel;
Wir spinnen Luftgespinste,
Und suchen viele Künste,
Und kommen weiter von dem Ziel.

Gott, laß uns dein Heil schauen,
Auf nichts vergänglichs trauen,
Nicht Eitelkeit uns freun!
Laß uns einfältig werden,
Und vor dir hier auf Erden
Wie Kinder fromm und fröhlich sein!

Wollst endlich sonder Grämen
Aus dieser Welt uns nehmen
Durch einen sanften Tod,
Und wenn du uns genommen,
Laß uns in Himmel kommen,
Du lieber treuer frommer Gott!

So legt euch denn, ihr Brüder,
In Gottes Namen nieder!
Kalt ist der Abendhauch.
Verschon’ uns Gott mit Strafen,
Und laß uns ruhig schlafen,
Und unsern kranken Nachbar auch!

---

Evening song

The moon is risen, beaming,
The golden stars are gleaming
So brightly in the skies;
The hushed, black woods are dreaming,
The mists, like phantoms seeming,
From meadows magically rise.

How still the world reposes,
While twilight round it closes,
So peaceful and so fair!
A quiet room for sleeping,
Into oblivion steeping
The day’s distress and sober care.

Look at the moon so lonely!
One half is shining only,
Yet she is round and bright;
Thus oft we laugh unknowing
At things that are not showing,
That still are hidden from our sight.

We, with our proud endeavour,
Are poor vain sinners ever,
There’s little that we know.
Frail cobwebs we are spinning,
Our goal we are not winning,
But straying farther as we go.

God, make us see Thy glory,
Distrust things transitory,
Delight in nothing vain!
Lord, here on earth stand by us,
To make us glad and pious,
And artless children once again!

Grant that, without much grieving,
This world we may be leaving
In gentle death at last.
And then do not forsake us,
But into heaven take us,
Lord God, oh, hold us fast!

Lie down, my friends, reposing,
Your eyes in God’s name closing.
How cold the night-wind blew!
Oh God, Thine anger keeping,
Now grant us peaceful sleeping,
And our sick neighbour too.

moon

---

---