Geheimnißvoller Klang,
Für Geister der Luft besaitet,
Von keines Menschen Gesang,
Von Stürmen nur begleitet.
In deinen Tiefen sind
Die Melodien der Sterne, --
So ruft ein weinend Kind
Der Mutter in die Ferne.
Laute der Trösterin der Einsamkeit!
So zieh'n über Fluthen Schwäne,
So wiegt in Träume die Seligkeit
Die schmerzenstillenden Thräne.
Note: in many older editions, the spelling of the word "Äolsharfe" becomes "Aeolsharfe", but as can be seen in how "über" becomes "Ueber" when capitalized, this is due to the printing process and not to rules of orthography, so we use "Äolsharfe". Note as well that modern German would change some spellings including "Geheimnißvoller" -> "Geheimnisvoller", "Fluthen" -> "Fluten", "Thräne" -> "Träne", etc.
Composition:
Set to music by Max Reger (1873 - 1916), "Äolsharfe", op. 75 no. 11 (1903) [ medium voice and piano ]
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Arpa eòlica", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Aeolian Harp", copyright © 2024
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , " Harpe éolienne", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Peter Donderwinkel , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 56
Mysterious sound, strings
Strung for the spirits of the air,
Accompanied by no human song,
Only by storms:
In your depths exist
The melodies of the stars --
Thus does a crying child call
For a far-off mother.
Lute of the comforter of loneliness!
Thus do swans glide upon the waters,
Thus bliss lulls into dreams
The tear that soothes our anguish.
