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Songs of sorrow
Song Cycle by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880)
View original-language texts alone: Lieder des Leids
Leb wohl, leb wohl, du schöne Welt! Mein Herz ist müd' und schwer; Lebt Alle wohl auf Wiedersehn, Fahrt wohl, ich kann nicht mehr! Du heilig Land das mich geliebt Und tausendfach erfreut, Mir einen Gott und Himmel gab Und süßes Weh und Leid, Und manche sel'ge Menschenbrust An meine Brust gelegt, In leichtem Spiel, in hohem Ernst Mich namenlos bewegt, Den Hut der Freiheit auf das Haupt, Den Stab mir in dir Hand, Zu herrschen und zu [wallen]1 gab Froh über Meer und Land! Leb wohl, leb wohl, du heilge Welt, Die mir den Heiland gab, Und Sühne in mein reuig Herz, Unsterblichkeit ins Grab! Er ging im Tode mir voran, Er reich mir seine Hand! -- Die Kluft ist tief, mein Gang ist Nacht, Hinüber in sein Land!
Text Authorship:
- by Albert Zeller (1804 - 1877), no title, appears in Lieder des Leids, no. 29
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View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with: Lieder des Leids von Albert Zeller, Fünfte stark vermehrte Auflage, Berlin: Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer, 1865, pages 54-55.
1 Lang: "walten"Farewell, farewell, you beautiful world! My heart is exhausted and heavy; Farewell to all of you until we meet again, Farewell, I can endure no more! [Farewell], you holy land that loved me And gave me a thousand joys, Gave me a God and a Heaven, And sweet pain and sorrow, And placed many a blessed human breast Against my breast, And in easy play, in high seriousness, Unutterably moved me, [You gave me] the hat of freedom on my head, The staff in my hand, To reign and [wander over in pilgrimage]1 happily On sea and land! Farewell, farewell, you holy world, Which gave me the Saviour, And reparation into my contrite heart, And immortality into the grave! He went before me into death, May He give me His hand! -- The abyss is deep, my path is night Across into His land!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Sharon Krebs and Harald Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Albert Zeller (1804 - 1877), no title, appears in Lieder des Leids, no. 29
Go to the general single-text view
View original text (without footnotes)1 Lang: "govern"
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-13
Line count: 24
Word count: 143
Den Pfad, den du so oft gezogen, Den ich mit dir gewandelt bin, Schon decken ihn des Kornes Wogen, Und Blumen nicken drüber hin; Nur an der dichtern Lebensfülle Erkenn' ich noch die liebe Spur, Sonst birgt sie in der [weiten Hülle]1 Die unermeßlich reiche Flur! So wie der Pfad verlor dein Leben Sich in dem reichsten Segensmeer, Und meine frohen Blicke schweben Gleich Sonnenstrahlen drüber her: Wie hat der Herr dein Seyn gesegnet Und deiner treuen Hände Saat! Auf jedem Schritt und Tritt begegnet Mir deine stille Liebesthat. Umflossen von des Höchsten Güte, Umfangen wie vom Mutterarm, Wie fühl' ich ferner im Gemüthe Verlassen mich, verwaist und arm! Kein Klagen rührt sich, kein Begehren; Erfüllung strömet um mich her; Ein [licht- und gnadenvoll]2 Gewähren, Als ob ich mit vollendet wär! Sollt ich auch hoffen und nicht schauen? Das Schauen ist des Hoffens Kern, Wenn auch [dem hoffendsten]3 Vertrauen Der volle Aufgang ist noch fern. Du bist bei Ihm, in seiner Nähe Fühl ich die deine wunderbar; Ich bin gehalten und ich sehe Doch in der Liebe Tiefen klar.
Text Authorship:
- by Albert Zeller (1804 - 1877), no title, appears in Lieder des Leids, no. 42
Go to the general single-text view
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with: Lieder des Leids von Albert Zeller, Fünfte stark vermehrte Auflage, Berlin: Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer, 1865, pages 80-81.
1 Lang: "Lebensfülle"2 Lang: "Licht und gnadenvoll"
3 Lang: "dein Hoffen dein"
The pathway that you so often wandered, That I wandered along with you, The waves of wheat already conceal it, And flowers nod above it; And only by the more lushly burgeoning life Do I recognize the beloved track; Otherwise it is harboured within the [broad covering]1 Of the immeasureably rich meadow! Just like the pathway, your life, too, Was lost in the richest sea of blessings, And my joyful glances hover Over it like sunbeams: How God has blessed your existence And the sowing of your faithful hands! With every step I take I encounter Your quiet deeds of love. Suffused in the Almighty's goodness, Encircled as by a mother's arms, How could I in my spirit continue to feel Abandoned, orphaned, and poor! No laments arise, no yearnings; Fulfillment streams about me; [A light and merciful sanction,]2 As if I too had achieved fulfillment! Should I hope and not see [that which I hope for]? To see is the very essence of hope, Even if the fulfillment of [the most hopeful]3 trust, The full fruition, is still far in the future. You are with Him, in His presence I miraculously feel your [nearness]. I am upheld and I look into The clear depths of love.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Albert Zeller (1804 - 1877), no title, appears in Lieder des Leids, no. 42
Go to the general single-text view
View original text (without footnotes)1 Lang: "lush life "
2 Lang: "A merciful sanction and a [guiding] light"
3 Lang: "your hope and"
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-13
Line count: 32
Word count: 207
Gieb dich dahin In Gottes Sinn, Laß Alles andre schwinden; Schreit' immer zu In dieser Ruh, Dann wirst du überwinden! Sei sanft und still, Hör, was Er will, Fall ihm nicht in die Rede: So wird dein Muth Gar frisch und gut, Und aus ist Kampf und Fehde. Die Welt so schön, Sie muß vergehn, Ich kann sie drum nicht schelten; Was soll denn sie Die Sorg und Müh Und unsre Noth entgelten? Sie hält auch Freud Genug bereit, Den Wandrer zu erquicken; Nur mußt du dich Auch sänftiglich In ihre Dornen schicken! Das Ungemach Hält frisch und wach, Das Heil nicht zu versäumen; Das eitle Herz Ohn Sorg' und Schmerz Würd es gar bald verträumen. So geht die Zeit Zur Ewigkeit Gehorsam in die Lehre, Und Alles führt Wie sichs gebührt, Zu Gottes Preis und Ehre.
Text Authorship:
- by Albert Zeller (1804 - 1877), no title, appears in Lieder des Leids, no. 51
Go to the general single-text view
Confirmed with: Lieder des Leids von Albert Zeller, Fünfte stark vermehrte Auflage, Berlin: Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer, 1865, pages 98-99.
Consign yourself To God's purpose, Let everything else fade away; Always go forward In this peace, Then you shall prevail! Be gentle and quiet, Listen to what He wills; Do not interrupt Him, Then your spirit Shall become bold and fine, And battles and feuds shall be no more. The world so beautiful Is destined to decay, I cannot rebuke it for that! Why should [the world] recompense us for Our anxieties and toils And our sorrows? [The world] also holds Enough joys at the ready To refresh the wanderer; You must simply Meekly and gently Also submit to [the world's] thorns! Adversity Keeps us bold and alert, So as not to miss out on salvation! The vain heart, Without anxiety and sorrow, Would easily dream away the [opportunity to gain salvation]. Thus time obediently Turns to eternity For instruction, And everything leads, As is proper, To God's praise and glory!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Albert Zeller (1804 - 1877), no title, appears in Lieder des Leids, no. 51
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-13
Line count: 36
Word count: 151