Evening peace | How you smile at me

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Abendfrieden

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Wie lachst du voller Frieden, 
Mein Kirchlein, noch mich an, 
Da nun der Tag geschieden, 
Und Nacht mich will umfahn. 
  Im Kirchhof mitten drinnen 
So mild schaust du hinab, 
Und ziehst hinauf mein Sinnen 
Weit über Tod und Grab. 

  O gieb ihm deinen Segen,
Du letzter Abendstrahl, 
Eh sich die Schatten legen 
Nun ganz auf Berg und Thal.
  Und ich, umrauscht vom Walde,
Von süßem Hauch umweht,
Will bringen an der Halde
Vor Gott mein Nachtgebet.

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 109-110.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Abendfrieden", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 123 [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 Alexis Holländer (1840 - 1924), "Abendfrieden", op. 16 (Drei Duette für Sopran und Alt) no. 3, published 1870 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ], Berlin: Verlag von Wilhelm Müller [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Evening peace", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-01-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 77

Evening peace

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  How you smile at me 
Full of peace, my little church,
Now that the day has departed
And night wishes to embrace me.
  In the middle of the churchyard
You gaze down so mildly,
And draw my thoughts
Far above death and grave.

  Oh, give [my spirit] your blessing,
You last ray of evening,
Before the shadows now utterly
Descend upon mountain and valley.
  And I, soughed about by the forest,
Wafted about by a sweet breath,
At the acclivity shall bring
My nighttime prayer before God.

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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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Abendfrieden", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 123
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-01-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 88