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Wenn hochentzückt mein Auge sieht Wie schön die Erde Gottes blüht, Wie alles Wesen angeschmiegt An ihren Segensbrüsten liegt; Und sie, voll Mutterfreundlichkeit, Sich jedes ihrer Kinder freut, So inniglich sie alle liebt, Allmilde Nahrung jedem giebt; Wie groß und hehr, in Himmelspracht, Ihr volles Blütenantlitz lacht, Und wie, in steter Jugendkraft Sie rastlos waltet, wirkt und schaft: Dann fühl' ich hohen Feuerdrang Zu rühmen den mit Preisgesang, Des wundervoller Allmachtsruf Die weite Welt so schön erschuf! Der Wald und Kraut drauf wachsen ließ: Von Meeren sie umgürten hieß, Von dem der Segen alle kömmt, Der stündlich ihrem Schoos entströmt! Drum, o mein Geist, erheb' ihn laut, Der diese Welt so schön erbaut! Erfreu, so lang' es ihm gefällt, Dich immer dieser schönen Welt!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesConfirmed with Der Teutsche Merkur. May 1780. Zweytes Vierteljahr, pages 105-106; with Lieder von Friedrich Matthisson. Vermehrte Auflage. Dessau, 1783, pages 1-2; and with Gedichte von Friedrich Matthisson. Mannheim in der neuen Hof- und akademischen Buchhandlung. 1787, pages 147-149.
There is a later version of this poem, with only five stanzas and substantial textual changes; see below.
Authorship:
- by Friedrich von Matthisson (1761 - 1831), "Die schöne Erde", written 1778, first published 1780 [author's text checked 3 times against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Wilhelm Friedrich Riem (1779 - 1837), "Wenn hochentzückt mein Auge sieht", op. 41 no. 3, published [c1830/1] [ SATB quartet ], from Sieben Lieder für Sopran, Alt, Tenor, und Baß in Musik gesetzt und dem Herrn Hof-Kapellmeister Marschner zugeeignet von W. F. Riem, no. 3, Leipzig: Verlag und Eigenthum von Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739 - 1796), "Die schöne Erde", published 1784 [ voice and piano ], from Oden und Lieder aus den besten deutschen Dichtern, Erste Sammlung, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
Set in a modified version by Franz Peter Schubert.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2010-12-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 124
When greatly enraptured my eyes see How beautifully God's earth blooms, How every creature, nestling close, Lies at her blessed breasts; And she, full of motherly kindness, Rejoices in every one of her children, Loving all of them so fervently, Giving mild sustenance to each; How greatly and loftily in the glory of heaven Her full-blossoming visage smiles, And how, in everlasting vigour of youth She blesses, works and creates unceasingly: Then I feel a lofty, fiery compulsion To praise Him with songs of praise, Him, whose wondrous omnipotent call Created the wide world so beautifully! Him, who let forest and herb grow upon it, Who commanded the seas to girdle it, Him from whom come all the blessings That flow forth from her womb every hour! Therefore, oh my spirit, exalt Him loudly, Him, who created this world so beautifully! And as long as it is His desire, delight Constantly in this beautiful world!
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesTranslation of titles
"Die schöne Erde" = "The beautiful earth"
"Wenn hochentzückt mein Auge sieht" = "When greatly enraptured my eyes see"
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich von Matthisson (1761 - 1831), "Die schöne Erde", written 1778, first published 1780
This text was added to the website: 2015-06-09
Line count: 24
Word count: 155