👉 Okay, let’s tackle that mouthful! "’Ō Länder, möcht’ euch Gottґ-ßei-ßrüʒ vnd gßen,—⸫— vnd gßen,—⸫— vnd gßen,—– vnd ङßeß—⸫— vnd ङßeß—⸫— vnd ङßeß— —,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,—,——!"
… and then you, dear reader, have a prayer that’s basically the 17th-century equivalent of saying, "Okay, God, here we go again. Let's bless these lands. And… well… let’s just keep going with the blessings. For, like, way too long." Let’s unpack this glorious, and somewhat terrifying, mouthful for you. It is the title and beginning to a 1549 (Störmerß-Mißel) Lutheran hymn in Swabia. And it's, quite frankly, a linguistic Frankenstein, assembled from what was probably an embarrassingly large number of hastily cobbled-together phrases and pious desires. Here’s the breakdown:
