by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873)
If that high world
Language: English
If that high world -- which lies beyond Our own, surviving love endears; If there the cherished heart be fond, The eye the same -- except in tears -- How welcome those untrodden spheres! How sweet this very hour to die! To soar from earth and find all fears Lost in thy light -- eternity! It must be so -- 'tis not for self That we so tremble on the brink, And striving to o'erleap the gulph, Yet cling to Being's breaking link. Oh! in that future let us think To hold each heart the heart that shares; With them the immortal waters drink, And soul in soul grow deathless theirs!
Text Authorship:
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "If that high world", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 3, first published 1815 [author's text checked 1 time 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 David Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "If that high world", published 1969 [ voice and piano ], from Hebrew melodies, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Otto Luening (1900 - 1996), "If that high world", published 1941 [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by James Nary , "If that high world", published 1876 [ voice and piano ], from Lord Byron's Hebrew Melodies [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "If that high world", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Friedrich Eduard Wilsing (1809 - 1893), "If that high world", <<1893 [ voice and piano ], from Hebrew Melodies, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Die höh're Welt", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Loewe, Friedrich Eduard Wilsing.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873) , "Die beßre Welt", appears in Israelitische Gesänge, no. 3 ; composed by Heinrich August Marschner.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) , "Wenn in der Welt, die droben liegt", appears in Hebräische Melodien, no. 3, first published 1841 ; composed by Karl Müller, Max Seifriz.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Dmitry Lavrentevich Mikhailovsky (1828 - 1905) , no title ; composed by Sigizmund Vladislavovich Zaremba.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Si dans ce monde céleste", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 3
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-05-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 106
Die bessre Welt
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Our translations: ENG
Wenn oben wird die schön're Welt, Der Liebe ew'ges Seyn gewähren; Wenn wieder Herz zu Herz sich hält, Das Auge blinkt, doch nie voll Zähren -- Willkommen, unbetret'ne Sphären! Wie süß, ob jezt mein Auge bricht, Wird sich der Erde Schmerz verklären, O Ewigkeit, in deinem Licht! Es muß ja seyn! Denn sonst warum, Daß wir vor nächt'ger Tief erkalten? Und schlägt der Kahn des Lebens um, Uns an das Seyn im Sinken halten? Drum glaubt, mit zärtlichen Gewalten, Wird sich das Herz dem Herzen weihn, Und wo kein Tod hinfort darf schalten, Wird ewig Seel' in Seele seyn.
View text with all available footnotes
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
Confirmed with Julius Körner (translator), Lord Byron’s Poesien, Erstes Bändchen, Zwickau: im Verlage der Gebrüder Schumann, 1821, page 7
Confirmed with Iris, Jahrgang 1821 (Sonntag, 28. October), Nr. 44, page 181
Text Authorship:
- by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873), "Die beßre Welt", appears in Israelitische Gesänge, no. 3 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "If that high world", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 3, first published 1815
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Die bessre Welt", op. 100 no. 1, published 1839 [ voice and piano ], from Israelitsche Gesänge von Lord Byron mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 1, Berlin, Trautwein [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The better world", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-05-31
Line count: 16
Word count: 98