by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)
Translation © by Sharon Krebs

An des Waldes Herz
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
  Mit dem Gram, mit dem Gram
In das Farrenkraut,
Wo der Fuchs sich baut,
Sich der Gießbach staut,
Wo die Tannen mit dir stöhnen,
Wo der Eichen Wipfel dröhnen,
  Mit dem wilden brennenden Schmerz
  An des Waldes Herz!

  Mit dem Gram in den Grund,
Wo die Brünnlein gehn,
Wo die Röslein stehn,
Und die Birken wehn,
Wo die Vögel dich betäuben,
Wo davon die Rehe stäuben,
  Mit dem wilden, brennenden Schmerz
  An des Waldes Herz!

  Mit dem Gram, mit dem Gram
An den stillsten Ort,
Wo dein banges Wort
Auch kein Hauch trägt fort,
Wo kein Vogel wagt zu schlagen, 
Wo kein Strahl sich hin mag wagen, 
  Mit dem wilden, brennenden Schmerz 
  An des Waldes Herz!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 85-86.

Note to stanza 3, line 4: The published poem contains an error ("betäubten" instead of "betäuben"; it has been corrected above).


Text Authorship:

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

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

  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "To the bosom of the woods!", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-07-03
Line count: 24
Word count: 117

To the bosom of the woods!
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
  With your grief, with your grief
Into the ferns,
Where the fox builds its den,
Where the mountain torrent is dammed,
Where the firs groan with you,
Where the tops of the oaks roar,
  With your wild, burning pain
  To the bosom of the woods!

  With your grief into the depths,
Where the wells bubble,
Where the little roses stand
And the birches blow,
Where the birds numb you,
Where the deer run off in a cloud of dust,
  With your wild, burning pain
  To the bosom of the woods!

  With your grief, with your grief
To the quietest place,
Where no breath [of wind] carries off
Your anxious word,
Where no bird dares to ding,
Where no [sun]beam dares to go,
  With your wild, burning pain
  To the bosom of the woods!

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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This text was added to the website: 2025-07-08
Line count: 24
Word count: 134