English translations of Drei Lieder, opus 108

The winds roar
Along the fir-clad slopes,
The water-springs
Race through the valley;
I wander in haste
Through forest and snow,
Many a mile
From peak to peak.
 
And when in
The open valley
Life already rises
Toward the sunbeams,
I must pass by
With a frenzied spirit
And I gaze instead
To where it is still winter.
 
Upon green moors,
Upon colourful meadows,
I would only be
Constantly confronted with my pain,
That life puts forth shoots
Even upon the rocks,
And, alas, only one
Has locked her heart.
 
Oh love, love,
Oh breath of May,
You urge the shoots forth
From tree and bush,
The birds sing
[Upon the green heights,]1
The water-springs bubble up
When you waft by.
 
But you leave me
To roam in darksome delusions
Through the whistling wind
Upon a rough pathway.
Oh shimmer of Spring,
Oh radiance of blossoms,
Am I never
To rejoice in you?

In death’s solemn hour,1
Cover me, holy Naiad,
Once more with quiet songs,
Once more with [sweet]2 tones
[And] from the deep wounds of parting
In my breast, heal me.
Lift from this earthly struggle
My anguished, pure soul,
Carry it on your wings,
That it may wed the light.

Oh then will I, with sounds
Both [safe]3 and blissful, be soothed,
And the chains that I'll burst
Will disappear in silence and light.
All the wonders will I see
That in life gave me joy,
Everything beautiful that happened to me
Will stand glorified before me.
Every star that burned for me,
That with its friendly twinkling,
Through the [hopeless]4 darkness,
Brightened my short time on earth, [and]
Every flower that I adorned myself with,
Will produce musical tones.
And those terrible minutes,
During which I could have paid dearly,
Will ring around me with pleasure,
And I shall see transfiguration
Poured out over all things.
So in bliss will I sink down,
Sweetly engulfed by floods of joy.

I lay on green meadows
By the edge of a clear spring;
The shades of alder trees cooled
The hot burning on my cheeks.
I thought about this and that,
And I dreamt with gentle sorrow
Of many things that are sweet and beautiful to me
That are not given in this world.

And lo and behold, floating out of the grove came
A girl, as clear as the sun.
A white veil was woven
Around her nut-brown hair.
Her eyes were moist and glowing,
An ethereal blue flowed around,
Her eyelids flickered, moistened by
The pearly dew of sorrow.

A sad smile hovered
Around her sweet mouth.
She shuddered, she trembled!
Her eyes were sore from weeping,
Her gaze was full of the longing of love,
Searching for me, as I imagined it.
Who was, like me, so happily misled,
Who was as happy as I?

I got up in order to embrace her!
And oh, she stepped back.
I saw her quickly go pale,
And her look turned more gloomy.
She looked at me in such an inward way,
She pointed with her hand,
Solemn and profoundly meaningful,
Towards heaven, and she disappeared.

Farewell, farewell, apparition!
Farewell, I know you well!
And the significance of your gesture
Is something I understand, as I should . . .
Even though separated for the time being,
A more beautiful connection unites us;
High up there, not down here,
Is where love has its fatherland!