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Brich, brich, O Meer, o Meer! Brich am grauen Gestein! Die Gedanken spricht meine Lippe nicht aus Die du rauschst in mein Herz hinein! O, wohl dem Fischermann’s Sohn Der da jauchzt mit der Schwester im Spiel! O wohl dem Matrosenbub' Der da singet, geweiget vom Kiel! Und bald hat das stattliche Schiff In Rückkehr den Hafen erreicht: O wer bringt mir wieder den Druck jener Hand, Den Laut jener Stimme, die schweigt? Brich, brich, O Meer, o Meer! O Meer, o Meer, brich an deinen Felsen o Meer! Doch die zarte Schönheit vergang'nen Tag's Kehrt nimmer, kehrt nimmermehr!
Composition:
- Set to music by János Végh (1845 - 1918), as Johann Végh, "Brich, brich o Meer...!", 1868, published 1869 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Gedichte, Heft 2, no. 12, Pest: Táborszky & Parsch; Wien: F. Wessely; Leipzig: Fr. Hofmeister, Nr. 72, also set in English
Text Authorship:
- by Eugen Oswald (1826 - 1912), "Brich, brich, brich"
Based on:
- a text in English by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in Poems, Volume II, first published 1842
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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-10-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 104
Break, break, ... Oh sea, break upon the grey rocks! My lips cannot utter the thoughts That your rushing brings into my heart! Oh happy is the fisher's son Who rejoices with his sister at play! Oh happy is the sailor lad Who sings, rocked by the keel! And soon the stately ship has, On its homeward journey, reached the harbour: But who can bring back to me the pressure of that hand, The sound of that voice that has fallen silent? Break, break, ... Oh sea, oh sea, break upon your rocks, oh sea! But the tender beauty of past days Shall never and nevermore return!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2019 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.
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Eugen Oswald (1826 - 1912), "Brich, brich, brich"
Based on:
- a text in English by Alfred Tennyson, Lord (1809 - 1892), no title, appears in Poems, Volume II, first published 1842
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2019-03-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 115