English translations of Vier Lieder für fünfstimmigen gemischten Stimme, opus 22

Wrap me up in green blankets,
With your rustling, sing me to sleep;
May you wake me with good times
With your new day's brand new light! 
I have come to you with tiredness,
My eyes are blurred with your splendor;
Now, it is my only wish
To rest, dreaming, in your night. 

Joyful lights of the eyes of children
You already capture with flowers
And should childish grief want to dampen it with tears,
You flush him with tinted light. 
If wild hatred, immoderate love
Ever captivated me before,
I always remained a child
When I came freely to you. 

Beloved one, who with endless truth
And endless youth refreshes me,
You singular happiness, that without repentance
And without regret enraptures me -
Should I ever become untrue to you,
Coldly forget you, without thanks,
Then I am base, brought low,
My heart corrupt or sick. 

O stay evermore against my back,
I will lie in the field in my time! 
With your warm motherly looks
Also rest on me in harshest strife. 
And should finality find me,
Quickly cover me with grass;
O to die and to vanish blessed
In your hostel's still rest.

Heartily, I enjoy 
the festive summer time; 
All my blood is renewed, 
May rejoices in pleasure; 
The lark allows itself 
a bright sound, 
the birds sing sweetly, 
and the nightingale too. 
 
The cuckoo’s cry 
makes everyone happy; 
In the evening 
the girls line up happily, 
strolling to the fountain, 
Crown them now with wreathes, 
while all the world rejoices 
in the delights of traveling far and wide

It is growing green in the forest, 
the flowers are blooming freely, 
The roses in the field 
are of many colors; 
A small flower is in the garden, 
called forget me not,
attending to the precious herb 
that makes the eyes shine. 

 In good times,
 exalted by love and wine,
 this song will unite
 us and be sung!
 God, who holds us together
 and brought us here,
 shall renew the flames
 he kindled in us.
 
 So, glowing with happiness today,
 we are one at heart!
 Drink to our renewed joy
 this glass of good wine!
 In this sweet hour
 clink glasses and kiss faithfully;
 with these new bonds
 we make the old ones new again!
 
 Who lives in our circle
 but is not happy?
 Relish the free ways
 and faithful brotherly love!
 So we remain through all time,
 heart turned toward heart;
 and through no trifle
 will our bond ever be broken.
 
 A god has blessed us
 with an unfettered view on life,
 and everything that happens
 renews our happiness.
 We are not oppressed by melancholy thoughts,
 no desire trips us up,
 and we are not constrained by foppish fads:
 our hearts beat freely.
 
 With every step along
 the swift road of life,
 ever more serenly
 do our gazes climb.
 Life is never frightening to us,
 rising or falling,
 and may we long, long remain
 this way, eternally united.

I have set my ambition on nothing at all,
          Hurray!
[Hence]1 I am so content in the world;
          Hurray!
And whoever wishes to be my comrade
May clink glasses with me, may join in [the song]
At the dregs of this wine. 

I set my ambition on money and possessions,
          Hurray!
As a result, I lost happiness and courage,
          Oh woe!
The coin rolled hither and yon,
And if I managed to grasp it at one place,
At another it was gone.

I next set my ambition on women,
          Hurray!
From that there came much misfortune for me,
          Oh woe!
The false one was after something else,
The faithful one bored me,
The best one was not available.

I set my ambition on trips and journeys,
          Hurray!
And left the people of my own kind;
          Oh woe!
And nowhere did I feel quite comfortable,
The food was strange, the beds were bad,
No one quite understood me.

I set my ambition upon fame and honour,
          Hurray!
And lo, immediately someone else had more;
          Oh woe!
As I had put myself forward,
The people looked at me askance,
In nobody’s view had I done right.

I set my ambition upon battles and war,
          Hurray!
And we attained many a victory;
          Hurray!
We marched into the foe's land,
For friends things did not go much better,
And I, I lost a leg.

Now I have set my ambition on nothing at all,
          Hurray!
And the whole world belongs to me;
          Hurray!
Singing and feasting are now drawing to a close;
Only drink up all the dregs,
The last one must come out!