English translations of Vier Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor, opus 42

At the edge of the forest stands a fir tree
With merrily swaying crown;
Two birds - whoosh! swing themselves up 
To the very highest peak,
And gaze down into the forest
And sing so loudly and sing so well,
  I well know what pleases you two so much,
  For there is nothing more beautiful in God’s world,
    As the wood, as the wood,
In the red, golden evening glow!

Oh, you birdlets, could I gaze down
With you upon all the shimmer,
Upon the sparkling green, upon the trembling light,
Upon the teasingly beautiful flickering!
And could I, like you, suddenly gaze
Into the splendour, oh how lovely that would be!
  For nothing pleases me and you so well,
  And there is nothing more beautiful in God’s world,
    As the wood, as the wood,
In the red, golden evening glow!

And when the last sunbeam
Has departed late from the wood,
And quiet night descends
With its blessed peace,
Then the birdlets fly into their nest,
And still in dreams it sounds delicately:
  There are many beautiful things that please us,
  But there is nothing more beautiful in God’s world,
    As the wood, as the wood,
In the red, golden evening glow!

Tomorrow is the first of May
      Hurray!
That is why, so beautifully, so beautifully the mountain peaks
Glow and flame in the setting sun.
That is why the last little cloud has passed away,
That is why the roads and paths sparkle so cleanly
From the storms and rains of April,
That is why everything, everything wishes to adorn itself.
That is why all the meadows shine with such freshness,
That is why the birds sing with a loud sound,
So that their jubilant cry rings out widely:
Tomorrow is the first of May
      Hurray!

Tomorrow is the first of May
      Hurray!
That is why [so many blossoms still burst open]1,
That is why the stream flows so rapidly,
That is why breezes blow so freshly through the [valley]2
And send the sweetest scent [to me]3,
That is why the forest is soughing freely and happily,
That is why my heart laughs so within my breast,
That is why I am moved so familiarly, so familiarly in my innermost being,
That is why as I wander [I must sing]4 so loudly
That my cry of jubilation [resounds]5 into the distance!
Tomorrow is the first of May
      Hurray!

  The blessing of the night already sounds more quietly
And wishes to fade away like the strains of a harp,
And softly and gently
Upon the pinions of the tones,
Hark! the blessing of the day has awakened.
  Thus between night and day,
  How heart and soul may rejoice!
  Morning stillness, to be blessedly alone,
  Blessedly alone with God!

  The last star upon the twilit blue is already
Sparkling more dully and wishes to dissolve,
From out of dark grey
The day wishes to come alight,
But night still lies upon chasm and meadow.
  Thus between night and day,
  How heart and soul may rejoice!
  Morning stillness, to be blessedly alone,
  Blessedly alone with God!

  Every sorrow still conceals itself
And every pain, as if they slumbered
Forever here,
As upon the eternal morning,
And as if they were never to return, never.
  Thus between night and day,
  How heart and soul may rejoice!
  Morning stillness, to be blessedly alone,
  Blessedly alone with God!

The [quiet]1 of the Sabbath flows down to earth
Quietly with the morning dew,
As with a smiling demeanor
Heaven gazes down upon the meadow.

From the luminous blossom branches
The scents waft healingly gentle,
Adorned with dew, the grass blades incline
Themselves, as if for prayer, in the wind.

The birdlets exchange their first
Spring songs only timidly,
And the trees sough so solemnly
Along with the ringing of the morning bells.

See, I too, I too yearn
Lord, for Thy Sabbath peace!
As the springtime world grows resplendent,
Mayest Thou stand resplendent in my heart!

And may the blessedness, the peace
That wafts through my soul
Rise up in my song
As a prayer that is pleasing to Thee!