Der Pestleid is a hymn written by Zwingli during his illness. He contracted the plague when it went through Zurich in 1519. He was the Leutminister for the Grossmunster Church, and as such believed he was responsible to minister to the sick and dying when the plague hit Zurich.
This is the same plague that Adelheid's husband contracted. She would have seen her children's families were sent out of the city, where possible, but she would have stayed to treat her husband. That she did not contract the plague herself was seen as both a miracle and a great sadness. While she was happy to survive and to stay with her children and grandchildren, she was devastated by the loss of Hans. A year later, despite her pragmatic nature, she is still carrying a sense of loss and loneliness.
I have chosen to set this to the 15th century hymn "Deo Gracias", and will be performing it in both English and German so that the haunting beauty of the poem can be enjoyed by the English speaking audience, but I can also keep the authenticity of the language in which it was written.