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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

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by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie der Jüngere (1741 - 1800)
Translation © by Garrett Medlock

O welch ein Leben, ein ganzes Meer
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
O welch ein Leben, ein ganzes Meer 
von Lust und Wonne fließt um mich her,
mir blühet Freude auf jeder Bahn
und was ich suche, das lacht mich an,
und was ich höre, das ist Jubelton,
und was ich fühle, entzücket schon.

Wohl mir! ich lebe um Minnesold,
und alle Mädchen sind mir so hold, 
von manchem Auge, das freundlich blinkt,
wird Glück der Liebe mir zugewinkt.
Was glänzet schöner als Mädchenblick,
was gleicht auf Erden der Liebe Glück?

Auf steilen Höhen, im stillen Tal,
beim Licht des Mondes, im Sonnenstrahl,
bei Tanz und Spielen, beim Rundgesang,
bei sanftem Flöten und Geigen Klang
sind gute Menschen an Freuden reich.
Seid auch so glücklich und freuet euch.

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie der Jüngere (1741 - 1800), written 1779?, Wien: zu finden beym Logenmeister, first published 1779 [author's text not yet checked 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 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), "O welch ein Leben, ein ganzes Meer", WoO. 91 no. 1 (1795), published 1888 [tenor and orchestra], Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , "Oh what a life, a whole sea", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-10-12
Line count: 18
Word count: 116

Oh what a life, a whole sea
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Oh what a life, a whole sea
of pleasure and joy flows around me,
joy blooms for me on every course
and what I seek [entices me]1,
and what I hear is [a] cheerful sound,
and what I feel delights [me] already.

Oh me! I live on the wages of love,
and all maidens are to me so fair,
from some eye that twinkles amiably
will [the] joy of love beckon to me.
What shines more beautifully than [a] maiden’s glance,
what upon Earth resembles love’s happiness?

On steep heights, in the quiet valley,
by the light of the moon, in the sun’s rays,
by dance and game, by the round song,
by gentle flutes and [the] violin’s sound
are good people in joys rich.
Be also so happy and rejoice.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Or "laughs with me"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Garrett Medlock, (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 Johann Gottlieb Stephanie der Jüngere (1741 - 1800), written 1779?, Wien: zu finden beym Logenmeister, first published 1779
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2018-10-14
Line count: 18
Word count: 133

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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