Das Volk, das noch im Finstern wandelt

Das Volk, das noch im Finstern wandelt. Jan Willem Schulte Nordholt, translated by Jürgen Henkys* (1929-2015). This was published in the collection, Steig in das Boot (Berlin, 1981), edited by Henkys. It is a translation of a Dutch hymn by Jan Willem Schulte Nordholt, ‘Het volk dat in duisternis wandelt’ ('The people that wandered in darkness'). It is based on Isaiah 9: 1-6. It has a strong resemblance to the Scottish paraphrase of the same chapter beginning ‘The people that in darkness sat’*, but whether or not Schulte Nordholt knew this is not recorded. The entry in KLEG notes that Henkys’s original translation was stronger than the present version, having its origins in memories of World...