When in anxious, dreary hours

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by Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 - 1801), as Novalis

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wenn in bangen trüben Stunden

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

  Wenn in bangen trüben Stunden
Unser Herz beinah verzagt,
Wenn, von Krankheit überwunden,
Angst in unserm Innern nagt;
Wir der Treugeliebten denken,
Wie sie Gram und Kummer drückt,
Wolken unsern Blick beschränken,
Die kein Hoffnungsstrahl durchblickt:

  O! dann neigt sich Gott herüber,
Seine Liebe kommt uns nah,
Sehnen wir uns dann hinüber,
Steht sein Engel vor uns da,
Bringt den Kelch des frischen Lebens,
Lispelt Muth und Trost uns zu;
Und wir beten nicht vergebens
Auch für die Geliebten Ruh.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• C. Pichler • M. Reger

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Confirmed with Novalis Schriften, Herausgegeben von Ludwig Tieck und Fr. Schlegel, Vierte Ausgabe, Stuttgart: bei A.F. Macklot, 1826, page 261.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 - 1801), as Novalis, no title, appears in Geistliche Lieder, no. 13 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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

This text was added to the website: 2006-04-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 83

When in anxious, dreary hours

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Add this translation to the Basket | Add tr by C. Pichler | Add tr by M. Reger

When in anxious, dreary hours
Our hearts almost despair,
When, conquered by sickness,
Fear gnaws within us;
When we think of the dearly loved ones,
How they are weighed down by grief and misery,
When clouds limit our view, clouds through which
No ray of hope penetrates:

  Oh! then God inclines Himself over us,
His love comes near to us;
When we then yearn for the other side,
His angel stands there before us,
Brings the goblet of fresh life,
Whispers courage and comfort to us;
And we do not pray in vain
Asking for peace for our loved ones as well.

Available sung text translations: ← What is this?

• C. Pichler • M. Reger

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Translations of titles:
"Der Engel des Trostes" = "The angel of comfort"
"Die Nähe des Herrn" = "The nearness of the Lord"
"Engel des Trostes" = "Angel of comfort"
"Wenn in bangen trüben Stunden" = "When in anxious, dreary hours"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 - 1801), as Novalis, no title, appears in Geistliche Lieder, no. 13
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2025-03-15
Line count: 16
Word count: 105