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O grüner Baum des Lebens, In meiner Brust versteckt, Laß mich nicht flehn vergebens! Ich habe dich entdeckt. O zeige mir die Wege Durch diesen tiefen Schnee, Wenn ich den Fuß bewege, So gleit' ich von der Höh'. Ich bliebe dir gern eigen, Ich gäb mich selber auf, - Willst du den Weg mir zeigen, Soll enden hier mein Lauf? Mein Denken ist verschwunden, Es schlief das Haupt mir ein, Es ist mein Herz entbunden Von der Erkenntnis Schein. Ich werd' in Strahlen schwimmen, Aus dieses Leibes Nacht, Wohin kein Mensch kann klimmen, Mit des Gedankens Macht. Es ward mein Sinn erheitert, Die Welt mir aufgetan, Der Geist in Gott erweitert, Unendlich ist die Bahn!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Achim von Arnim Werke, Band 5, Achim von Arnim Gedichte, herausgegeben von Ulfert Ricklefs, Frankfurt am Main: Deutscher Klassiker Verlag, 1994, page 943
Text Authorship:
- by Karl Joachim ("Achim") Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (1781 - 1831), no title [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 Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 - 2020), "O grüner Baum des Lebens", 2005, first performed 2005 [ voices and orchestra ], from Symphony No. 8: Piesni Przemijania (Songs of Transitoriness) (Lieder der Vergänglichkeit), no. 12 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ô arbre de vie vert", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-13
Line count: 24
Word count: 114
Oh green tree of life Hidden in my breast, Let me not plead in vain! I have discovered you. Oh show me the pathways Through this deep snow, If I should move my foot I would slip from on high. I would gladly remain yours, I would give myself up, -- If you would show me the way, Shall the course of my life end here? My ability to think has vanished, My head has fallen asleep, My heart has been delivered From the illusion of perception. In beams [of light] I shall float From out this body’s night There where no man can climb, With the power of thought. My disposition was exhilarated, The world was opened to me, My spirit was expanded in God, The pathway is limitless!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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 Karl Joachim ("Achim") Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (1781 - 1831), no title
This text was added to the website: 2016-05-03
Line count: 24
Word count: 129