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O schöne Hand, Kelch, dessen Duft Musik, Wie Töne schweben geht der, den du führst, Melodisch wird der Stein, den du berührst, Wenn sie dich einhüllt, wird die Luft Musik. Du tust dich auf, um Wohllaut zu verschwenden, Der ordnet, was Gewalt und Wahn verwirrten, Und Seelen, die auf Erden sich verirrten, Hinüberlockt, wo Wunsch und Zweifel enden. O Hand, Gebieterin der Töne, bleib Auf diesem Herzen ruhen, das ruhlos schwingt, So wandelst du in Frieden sein Verlangen. Dämonische, berühre diesen Leib, Er bebt wie Saiten, wird ein Meer und klingt Und rauscht empor, die Sonne zu empfangen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Ricarda Huch, Liebesgedichte, Wiesbaden: Insel-Verlag, 1952, page 50.
Text Authorship:
- by Ricarda Octavia Huch (1864 - 1947), no title, appears in Neue Gedichte (Liebesgedichte), first published 1907 [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 Viktor Ullmann (1898 - 1944), "O schöne Hand, Kelch, dessen Duft Musik", op. 26 no. 5 (1939), from Fünf Liebeslieder von Richarda Huch, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Oh beautiful hand, chalice, whose scent is music", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2006-12-08
Line count: 14
Word count: 98
Oh beautiful hand, chalice, whose scent is music, As tones waft, walks he whom you lead[;] The stone that you touch becomes melodious, When it envelops you, the very air becomes music. You open to lavish harmony that orders That which has been confused by violence and madness, And entices souls that became lost on earth To the place where wishes and doubts come to an end. Oh hand, ruler of tones, Remain resting upon this heart that vibrates restlessly, Thus shall you transform its yearning into peace. Demonic one, touch this body, It trembles like strings, becomes an ocean and sounds And rushes upward to receive the sun.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 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 Ricarda Octavia Huch (1864 - 1947), no title, appears in Neue Gedichte (Liebesgedichte), first published 1907
This text was added to the website: 2023-01-27
Line count: 14
Word count: 109