by
Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896)
Mein Lied
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): ENG
Seit meiner Jugendzeit
Hab' ich in Freud' und Leid
'Nen lieben Freund,
Der mit mir lacht und weint;
Der Freund ist: mein Gesang,
Wie ich bald froh, bald trüb' und bang,
Den mir, der Alles lenkt,
So gütig hat geschenkt.
War oft von Sorge schwer, voll Zweifel mein Gemüth,
Treu blieb mir doch: mein Lied.
Und was mein Herz im Lauf der Stunden
An Liebesqual, und Liebeslust
So ewig wahr und treu empfunden,
Was ich verschloß in tiefster Brust,
Wonach ich rang in heißem Sehnen,
Bald hoffnungsreich, bald todesmüd',
Mein ganzes Sein in Glück und Thränen,
Das sprach: mein Lied! --
Und ist mein Haar ergraut,
Verhallt der Stimme Laut,
Wend' ich den Blick
Wohl oft nach heut' zurück,
Zu dieser Wonnezeit,
So reich an Huld und Seligkeit,
Und denk': das war so schön
Und mußte doch vergeh'n!
Dann wie ein süßer Trost durch meine Seele zieht,
Was heut' ich sang: mein Lied!
Confirmed with Ferdinand Gumbert, "Pauline Lucca und 'Mein Lied'" in: Die Gartenlaube, Illustriertes Familienblatt, XXI, Nr. 9 (1873), page 149 (stanzas 1 and 3) and page 150 (stanza 2)
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "My song", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2017-04-22
Line count: 28
Word count: 153
My song
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
Since my youth,
In joy and sorrow,
I have had a dear friend
Who laughs and weeps with me;
That friend is: my singing,
Which, as I am, is now happy, now gloomy and anxious,
[The friend] whom He who governs all
Has given me so graciously.
I was often laden with worries, my spirit full of doubts,
Yet faithful remained to me: my song.
And in the passing of the hours, what
Of the agony and joy of love my heart
Had perceived as eternally true and faithful,
That which I locked up in the deepest part of my breast,
That for which I struggled in fervent yearning,
Now full of hope, now wearied to death,
My whole being in happiness and tears,
[All of] that was articulated by: my song! --
And when my hair has turned gray,
When the sound of my voice has died away,
I shall likely often turn my gaze
Back to today,
Back to this blissful time,
So rich in grace and felicity,
And think: that was so lovely,
And yet it had to vanish!
Then, like a sweet comfort, through my soul shall pass
That which today I sang: my song!
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2017 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.
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This text was added to the website: 2017-05-17
Line count: 28
Word count: 199