German (Deutsch) translations of Three songs, opus 30

by Percival Garratt (1877 - 1953)

1. Lullaby  [sung text not yet checked]
by Percival Garratt (1877 - 1953), "Lullaby", alternate title: "Sleep, beauty bright", op. 30 (Three songs) no. 2, published c1914 [ medium voice and piano ], London : West & Co.
Language: English 
Sleep, sleep, beauty bright,
Dreaming o'er the joys of night;
Sleep, sleep, in thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Soft desires I can trace,
Secret joys and secret smiles,
Little pretty infant wiles.

As thy softest limbs I feel, 
Smiles as of the morning steal 
O'er thy cheek, and o'er thy breast 
Where thy little heart does rest.

O! the cunning wiles that creep 
In thy little heart asleep. 
When thy little heart does wake 
Then the dreadful lightnings break, 

From thy cheek and from thy eye, 
O'er the youthful harvests nigh. 
Infant wiles and infant smiles 
Heaven and Earth of peace beguiles.

Text Authorship:

  • by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "A cradle song", written c1793, appears in Notebook, possibly intended for Songs of Innocence

See other settings of this text.

by William Blake (1757 - 1827)
1.
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Schlaf, schlaf, schönes Kind
Freud’ in deinen Träumen find’;
schlaf, schlaf,  wenig Leid
macht in deinem Schlaf sich breit.

Süßes, ich erspür
zarten Keim der Lust in dir,
Freuden, Lächeln, noch versteckt,
Streiche, künftig ausgeheckt.

Rühre ich dich zärtlich an,
sich des Morgens Lächeln dann
auf Gesicht und Körper legt,
wo dein kleines Herze schlägt.

Ach! Es schleicht sich Tücke, List
in dein Herz, wenn’s schlafend ist.
Wenn dein kleines Herz erwacht,
zuckt’s aus dir mit Blitzes Macht:

Tücke, List setzt unverwandt
dann der Jugend Haus in Brand.
Kindes Lächeln, Kindes List
schüren allseits Zank und Zwist.

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2015 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de

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Based on:

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Translation of title "A cradle song" = "Ein Wiegenlied"


This text was added to the website: 2015-09-01
Line count: 20
Word count: 97

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann