English translations of Lieder, opus 7

by Berta Gotthard (1885 - 1954)

1. Wehmut  [sung text not yet checked]
by Berta Gotthard (1885 - 1954), "Wehmut", op. 7 (Lieder) no. 2 [ voice and piano and viola ad libitum ]
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Erwin
 Ihr verblühet, süße Rosen,
 Meine Liebe trug euch nicht;
 Blühet, ach! dem Hoffnungslosen,
 Dem der Gram die Seele bricht!

 [Jener Tage denk' ich  trauernd,
 Als ich, Engel, an dir hing,
 Auf das erste Knöspchen lauernd
 Früh zu meinem Garten ging;]1

 Alle Blüten, alle Früchte
 Noch zu deinen Füßen trug
 Und vor deinem Angesichte
 [Hoffnung in dem]2 Herzen schlug.

 Ihr verblühet, süße Rosen,
 Meine Liebe trug euch nicht;
 Blühtet, ach! dem Hoffnungslosen,
 Dem der Gram die Seele bricht.

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Confirmed with Goethe's Werke nach den vorzüglichsten Quellen revidirte Ausgabe, Dritter Theil, Gedichte, herausgegeben und mit Anmerkungen begleitet von Dr. Fr. Strehlke, Berlin, Gustav Hempel, 1868, pages 74-75. Note: we have corrected the typo in stanza 1, line 3, word 1 : in many early editions, this was "blühtet", but most editions of his works published after 1852 (possibly earlier) indicate this correction, cf. Goethe's Liebe und Liebesgedichte, Berlin, Allgemeine Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1852, page 147.

Note: in Perfall's score, there are two typos: stanza 2, line 4, word 5 is "hin" instead of "ging"; and stanza 3, line 4, word 5 is "trug" instead of "schlug".

1 Hensel: 
 Der auf erste Knöspchen lauernd
 früh zu seinem Garten ging,
 ach der Tage denk ich trauernd,
 als ich Engel an dir hing.
2 Hensel: "Hoffnung mir im"

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
1.
Language: English 
Erwin
 You are wilting, sweet roses -
 my love could not sustain you.
 Bloom for hopelessness then,
 for he whose soul is breaking from sorrow! 

 I think mournfully of those days
 when I hung on you, angel,
 waiting for your first little bud
 and going to my garden early;

 Every blossom, every fruit
 I carried to your feet;
 and before your countenance,
 hope throbbed in my heart.

 You are wilting, sweet roses -
 my love could not sustain you.
 Bloom for hopelessness then,
 for he whose soul is breaking from sorrow!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


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Translation of title "Zur Rosenzeit" = "To the time of roses"
Translation of Fanny Mendelssohn's closing stanza: 
Bloom for him who waits for your first bud,
going to his garden early;
alas, I think mournfully of those days
when I hung on you, my angel.


This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 17
Word count: 89

Translation © by Emily Ezust
2. Licht in der Nacht  [sung text not yet checked]
by Berta Gotthard (1885 - 1954), "Licht in der Nacht", op. 7 (Lieder) no. 3 [ voice and piano ]
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Ringsum dunkle Nacht, hüllt in Schwarz mich ein,
zage flimmert gelb fern her ein Stern!
Ist mir wie ein Trost, eine Stimme still,
die dein Herz aufruft, das verzagen will.

Kleines gelbes Licht, bist mir wie der Stern
überm Hause einst Jesu Christ, des Herrn
und da löscht es aus. Und die Nacht wird schwer!
Schlafe Herz. Schlafe Herz. Du hörst keine Stimme mehr.

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by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)
2. Light in the night
Language: English 
Dark night all around, enveloping me in black,
Timidly a star flickers yellow from afar!
It's to me like a comfort, a quiet voice,
Which calls on your heart that wants to give up.

Little yellow light, you are like a star to me
Above the house of Jesus Christ the Lord, once,
And there it goes out!  Und the night turns heavy!
Sleep, my heart!  You hear no voice any more!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2007 by Elisabeth Siekhaus, (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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This text was added to the website: 2007-10-15
Line count: 8
Word count: 72

Translation © by Elisabeth Siekhaus
3. Kinderlied  [sung text not yet checked]
by Berta Gotthard (1885 - 1954), "Kinderlied", op. 7 (Lieder) no. 4 [ voice and piano ]
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Ich und du und du und du,
Zwei mal zwei ist viere,
Tragen Kränze auf dem Kopf,
Kränze aus Papiere;
Rechts herum und links herum,
Röck' und Zöpfe fliegen,
Wenn wir alle schwindlich sind,
Falln wir um und liegen,
Purzelpatsch, wir liegen da,
Patschelpurz, im Grase:
Wer die längste Nase hat,
Der fällt auf die Nase.

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Confirmed with Otto Julius Bierbaum, Irrgarten der Liebe. Verliebte, launenhafte und moralische Lieder, Gedichte und Sprüche aus den Jahren 1885 bis 1900, Erstes bis fünftes Tausend, Berlin und Leipzig: Im Verlage der Insel bei Schuster und Loeffler, MDCCCCI, page 35.


by Otto Julius Bierbaum (1865 - 1910)
3. Children's song
Language: English 
I and you and you and you,
Two times two is four,
We wear wreaths upon our heads,
Wreaths made of paper;
Turn around to the right, around to the left,
Skirts and braids a-flying,
When we are all dizzy,
We fall over and there we lie,
Slippity-splat, there we lie,
Slappity-split, in the grass:
Whoever has the longest nose,
Shall fall flat onto her face.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2021 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
    Contact: 

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This text was added to the website: 2021-07-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 66

Translation © by Sharon Krebs