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O holde Zeit! wenn spät im Jahre, Als wär der Frühling wieder da, Der Schimmer noch, der wunderbare, Verklärt die Auen fern und nah; Wenn goldengrün die Matten liegen, Die Höhn in zauberischem Duft, Die letzten Blumen noch sich wiegen Glückselig in der lauen Luft! O holde Zeit, von seltner Wonne! Wenn strahlend durch die Wipfel bricht Das Mondenlicht als wie die Sonne, Die Sonne lacht wie Mondenlicht; Wenn ahnungsvoll in weitster Ferne Das Herz erspähet neues Glück, Voll selger Wehmuth doch so gerne An fernste Tage denkt zurück.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 124.
Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "O holde Zeit!", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 140 [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 Richard Müller (1830 - 1905), "O holde Zeit" [ men's chorus ], in: Palme, Rud. Allegemeines Liederbuch [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Jakob Nater (1826 - 1906) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduard Schön (1825 - 1879), "O holde Zeit, wenn spät im Jahre", published 1892 [ men's chorus ], in Chöre und Quartette für Männerstimmen, Hamburg: Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , 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: 2025-10-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 90
Oh lovely time! when late in the year, As if springtime were here again, The shimmer still, the wondrous [shimmer], Transfigures the meadows far and near; When the leas lie golden green, The heights [stand] in magical scents, The last flowers still wave Blissfully in the balmy air! Oh lovely time of rare bliss! When the moonlight breaks through The treetops as radiantly as the sun, [When] the sun smiles like moonlight; When full of premonition my heart Espies new happiness in the farthest distance, Yet full of blissful melancholy thinks back So gladly to most distant days.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"O holde Zeit!" = "Oh lovely time!"
"O holde Zeit, wenn spät im Jahre" = "Oh lovely time, when late in the year"
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), "O holde Zeit!", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 140
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-06
Line count: 16
Word count: 99