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Die kleinen Lieder, die dem Herzen Entspringen mit dem Tränenquell, Sterne der Tränen mild und hell, Geben noch Lindrung meinen Schmerzen, Schimmern durch meine Nächte hell. Auch diesen Born seh' ich bald trocken, Kalt und erstorben bald den Blick, So Lied als Träne bleibt zurück Im Herzen, dessen Pulse stocken, Und [tot]1 ist auch das letzte Glück. Grabt [dieses]2 Herz, mißkannt, verlassen, Hin wo noch eine Blume blüht, Ein Vogel durch die Lüfte zieht; Die Blume wird dies Herz nicht hassen, Der Vogel singt ihm noch ein Lied.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with Kerners Werke, Zweiter Teil, Gedichte, ed. Raimund Pissin, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., 1914, pages 167-168.
Note: There are three manuscripts of this song: Lang's autograph and two manuscripts by copyists. The latter both contain some text deviations in the first stanza. Line 4 ends with the word "Herzen" instead of "Schmerzen", but the correct word is used when the text is repeated. In line 5 the word "schimmern" becomes "scheinen" when the text is repeated.
1 Lang: "Tod"2 Lang: "dies"
Text Authorship:
- by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Letztes", 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- by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Letzter Trost", 1834 [ voice and piano ], unpublished [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-07
Line count: 15
Word count: 90
The little songs that flow from the heart With the wellspring of tears, Stars of tears mild and bright, Still alleviate my pain And shimmer brightly through my nights. I see that this wellspring too will soon run dry, Soon my gaze will be cold and dead, Thus song remains as a teardrop In a heart, whose pulses halt, And [dead is even this]1 last happiness. Bury this heart, misunderstood, abandoned, Where one flower still blooms, [Where] a bird sails through the breezes; The flower shall not hate this heart, The bird shall still sing [this heart] a song.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesTranslations of titles:
"Letzter Trost" = "Final consolation"
"Letztes" = "Last remnant"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 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 Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Letztes", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-25
Line count: 15
Word count: 100