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Der Lerche wolkennahe Lieder Erschmettern zu des Winters Flucht. Die Erde hüllt in Sammt die Glieder, Und Blüthen bilden rothe Frucht. Nur du, o sturmbewegte Seele, [Bist]1 blüthenlos, in dich gekehrt, Und wirst in goldner Frühlingshelle Von tiefer Sehnsucht aufgezehrt. Nie wird, was du verlangst, entkeimen Dem Boden, Idealen fremd; Der trotzig deinen schönsten Träumen Die [rauhe]2 Kraft entgegen stemmt. Du ringst dich matt mit seiner Härte, Vom Wunsche heftiger entbrannt: Mit Kranichen ein [strebender]3 Gefährte Zu wandern in ein milder Land.
Confirmed with Gedichte von Johann Mayrhofer. Wien. Bey Friedrich Volke. 1824, page 100.
1 Schubert: "Nur du bist"2 Schubert: "rohe"
3 Schubert (misprint in Alte Gesamtausgabe): "sterbender"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Baptist Mayrhofer (1787 - 1836), "Sehnsucht" [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 Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Sehnsucht", op. 8 (Vier Lieder) no. 2, D 516 (1816?), published 1822 [ voice, piano ], Cappi und Diabelli, VN 872, Wien [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Deler", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Hunkering", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Longing", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Désir", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 85
The songs of the lark, up near the clouds, Ring out as winter flees. The earth covers its limbs in velvet And blossoms form red fruit. Only you, storm-tossed soul, Only you do not blossom. You are turned in on yourself, And in the golden brightness of spring You are sucked dry by deep longing. What you crave will never spring from This soil, a stranger to ideals, Which, despite your most beautiful dreams, Sets its raw strength up against you. You exhaust yourself battling against its toughness, Fired up with the burning desire To set off as a striving companion with the cranes And to migrate to a kinder country.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2010 by Malcolm Wren, (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 Johann Baptist Mayrhofer (1787 - 1836), "Sehnsucht"
This text was added to the website: 2010-10-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 111