Sounds of home | Oh, that is a sweet sound

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Heimathklänge

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  O das ist ein süßes Klingen, 
Hörst du in der Fremde singen
Deiner trauten Heimath Lied!
  Wie das kranke Herz sich hebet 
Und vor Wonneschauer bebet, 
Nah ihm Alles, was es mied! 
  Ach! die grünen, grünen Auen, 
Und die Seeen fern, die blauen, 
Wähnst du wiederum zu schauen, 
Ob schon längst dein Glück auch schied! 

  O das ist ein süßes Klingen! 
Mag's auch Weh zur Freude bringen, 
Nimmer laß' es aus dem Sinn! 
  Ach! die trauten, trauten Klänge, 
Ach! die Schmerz- und Lustgesänge, 
Welch ein Segen schlummert drin! 
  Auf! und laß der Lust die Zügel, 
Spanne weit der Seele Flügel, 
Über Wald und Thal und Hügel 
Fliege nach der Heimath hin!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 274-275.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Heimathklänge", appears in Liederbuch, in 4. Vaterlandslieder, no. 305 [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 Anton Häring (1825 - 1888) [sung text not yet checked]
by (Karl) August Schuster (1807 - 1877) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Sounds of home", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website: 2026-02-09
Line count: 20
Word count: 112

Sounds of home

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  Oh, that is a sweet sound
When in foreign lands you hear
The song of your dear homeland!
  How the sick heart lifts
And trembles in shivers of bliss,
Everything from which it parted is near!
  Ah! the green, green meadows
And the distant lakes, the blue ones,
You imagine that you see them once more,
Though your happiness has long since passed away!

  Oh, that is a sweet sound!
Though it may bring pain as well as joy,
Never let it pass from your spirit!
  Ah! the dear, dear sounds,
Ah! the songs of pain and joy,
What a blessing slumbers in them!
  Arise! and give joy its head,
Spread wide the pinions of your soul,
Over forest and valley and hills,
Fly off to your homeland!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Heimathklänge", appears in Liederbuch, in 4. Vaterlandslieder, no. 305
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-06-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 129