Song's awakening | If I could but sing again

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by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Gesanges Erwachen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Könnt' ich einmal wieder singen,
Wär' ich wiederum gesund,
Aber noch will's Herz zerspringen,
Und im Trauern schweigt der Mund.

Kaum, daß die so leise Klage
Aus dem vollen Busen drang,
Wie an einem Wintertage
Oft schon halb ein Vogel sang.

Wie aus Wolken eng verschlossen
Halb oft dringt ein Sonnenblick,
Bald von Regen übergossen,
Wiederkehrt in sich zurück,

Also hellte mein Gemüte
Ach nur kurz ein lichter Traum,
Und vom aufgeweckten Liede
Hallten diese Töne kaum.

Confirmed with Justinus Kerner Werke, Zweiter Teil, Gedichte, ed. Raimund Pissin, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., 1914, pages 190-191

Text Authorship:

by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Gesanges Erwachen", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Gesanges Erwachen", 1827-28 [ voice and piano ], from Elf Jugendlieder, no. 3, note: published as "op. posth. 21", no. 5, in 1933, Wien (Vienna), Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El deixondir del cant", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Ontwakend gezang", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Song's awakening", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Réveil du chant", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 77

Song's awakening

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

If I could but sing again,
I would be well once more,
But still my heart wishes to burst,
And in mourning my lips fall silent.

This so quiet lament had barely
Left my fraught breast,
As upon a winter's day
Oft a bird already half sings.

As when through clouds, tightly gathered,
Oft half shines forth a glimpse of sun,
But soon deluged with rain,
It returns into itself,

Thus my soul was, ah, only briefly illumined
By a bright dream,
And from the awakened song
These sounds barely echoed.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2013 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 Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Gesanges Erwachen", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-07-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 91