English translations of Sechs Lieder, opus 12

   Your young man is dreaming
By the waterfall;
It surges and foams
With eternal swells;

   With a bellow of joy
It pours forth,
An unending abundance,
And does not become empty;

   It springs up upon the rocks,
And lifts itself back,
To pour down tears of
Unspeakable happiness.

   And bolts and flashes
In joyful [dread]1,
And roars and sprays out
Its soul.

   And above it tarries
The sun so mild,
Fragmenting into colours
The divine image.

   Thus my life plunges along,
You the sunshine within it,
In drunken trembling,
I know not whither?

In the vast forest,
On the wide heath,
Not a breath!
[Now you]1 too, weary wanderer, lie down 
[Here]2 under the bush!
Everything is quiet, everything is calm,
Gathered into the subjugation of peace; --
Only the brook storms incessantly,
And my thoughts of love.

   Yonder from the balcony,
Her white dress is already shimmering.
Quickly! in the fragile craft,
Boatman, carry me to the shore!

   Do not hesitate to brave [the lake]
Because the waves are stormily agitated!
Courage! one who carries such a happy man
Need have no fear.

   Do you see her eyes sparkling?
Steer toward them!
They are divine stars
Quieting the winds and waves.

   Let the little boat rock then!
There is no danger for you;
It is only the thoughts of love
That are rocking and fluttering around me.

  Do you have a heart, you waves,
That are beating full of fervour like mine?
Sun, only make them swell
With your golden blood!

   Yes, and transformed into fire
They surge mightily toward the shoreline;
Boatman, and do you not perceive on your rudder
The divine hand aiding you?

   Take what I have as payment,
Only row more quickly, my son!
If I were a king, you would wear
A golden chain as your reward.

   But, even before I greet her,
She, the sweet one, herself
Shall offer you the precious wine -
Make haste! already she is pouring it out!

"The sun arose in the purest effulgence,
Ah, how I only half saw it!
Toward you, beloved, all [about me] moves painfully!
Oh, if you were here!

How gracefully the morning wind parleys [with me]!
The birds there at the well sing to me;
They call out to me:  What is it that you lack?-
Oh, if you were here!

I am so glad. The time of joy,
When you shall become mine forever, already nears.
Oh, if it would only rise already, the magical sun of that day!
Oh, if you were already here!

Thus I wander aimlessly about, lost in happy dreams,
And everything I do, I do for you alone.
You are [my all], you [hover]1 around me everywhere,
You are deep within me!

And yet I do not wish to conceal it from you:
Until I can hear and see you in the flesh before me,
And can kiss you, I shall lack everything,-
Oh, if you were here!"

Is there a rustling in the leaves?
Does the grape turn red?
Is autumn already arriving?
Alas, how oppressed
I used to feel at its arrival,
And how the tears flowed!

Should one [now]1 drunkenly,
Quickly, squander
All pleasures in one day?
[Then]2 the leaves fall,
And the nightingales
Rest from their song!

Now with other concerns,
[Every morning I peer out]3;
[Asking], autumn, is this you already?
When the leaves fall
Then he shall come, who of all [people]
Is the dearest to me!

Let me fill your tender forms 
With tears,
Ye flowers, sink into the dust!
Embers of my dreams,
Do they not colour,
Ye trees, your dark leaves?

Coral berries,
Do you wish to suck my heart's blood,
Which must colour you red?
Grapes, grow round
And become heaven-inspired
By the maiden's kiss!

Autumn, come [quickly,]4
Colourfully to spread your net,
I shall jubilantly help you.
Rob then whatever you wish,
As long as you bring my bird
To me in captivity!

   On the wide heath undulates
The cloud [every which way]1,
It wanders without stopping,
It wanders back and forth,
Oh, if it only came to the cliff's edge,
Which plummets down to the valley!
It would want to descend with a rapid sweep, --
It dreams of it a thousand times.

  It is for naught that it peers [about],
Everything runs in the same pattern,
The pathway loses itself in its descent
And creeps back up [again].
Is there no bird around here
Who could show [it]2 the way?
On the barren heath, everything is mute,
No one sets foot upon the path.

   [Thus]3 finally [the cloud] comes
To the mountain lake, [still]4 and deep.
In the reeds there moves a weary breath.
Oh, [how fortunate is he] who sleeps down there.
And quietly, quietly the gentle greyness 
[Of the cloud] stretches itself [over the lake],
And melts and sinks and dissolves therein, --
The lake then smiles in blueness.