by Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 - 1801), as Novalis
Translation by George MacDonald (1824 - 1905)
Wenn in bangen trüben Stunden
Language: German (Deutsch)
Wenn in bangen trüben Stunden Unser Herz beinah verzagt, Wenn, von Krankheit überwunden, Angst in unserm Innern nagt; Wir der Treugeliebten denken, [Wie]1 sie Gram und Kummer drückt, Wolken unsern Blick beschränken, Die kein Hoffnungsstrahl durchblickt: O! dann neigt sich Gott herüber, Seine Liebe kommt uns nah, Sehnen wir uns dann hinüber, Steht sein Engel vor uns da, Bringt den Kelch des frischen Lebens, Lispelt Muth und Trost uns zu; Und wir beten nicht vergebens Auch für [die]2 Geliebten Ruh.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Novalis Schriften, Herausgegeben von Ludwig Tieck und Fr. Schlegel, Vierte Ausgabe, Stuttgart: bei A.F. Macklot, 1826, page 261.
1 Pichler: "Wenn"2 Pichler, Reger: "der"
Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 - 1801), as Novalis, no title, appears in Geistliche Lieder, no. 13 [author's text checked 2 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 Algernon Bennet Langton Ashton (1859 - 1937), "Wenn in bangen trüben Stunden", op. 138 (Acht Lieder) no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Flügel (1812 - 1900), "Engel des Trostes", op. 8 no. 6, published << 1869 [ voice and piano ], from Jugendlieder, no. 6, Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen'sche Buch- und Musikalien Handlung [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Friedrich Johann Girschner (1794 - 1860), "Der Engel des Trostes" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Pichler (1800 - 1869), "Die Nähe des Herrn" [ ssaa quartet ], unpublished, confirmed with the manuscript in Huldigung der Tonsetzer Wiens an Ihre Majestät die allerdurchlauchtigste Frau Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, Kaiserin von Österreich, Königin von Ungarn und Böhmen etc. Überreicht von der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde des österreichischen Kaiserstaates 1854 held in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Max Reger (1873 - 1916), "Wenn in bangen, trüben Stunden", alternate title: "Wenn in bangen, trüben Stunden", 1900 [ medium voice, organ ], from Zwei geistliche Lieder, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (George MacDonald) , "Spiritual Songs, number 13", appears in Rampolli: Growths from a Long Planted Root. Being Translations, New and Old, Chiefly from the German, first published 1897
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2006-04-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 83
Spiritual Songs, number 13
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
When in hours of fear and failing, All but quite our heart despairs; When, with sickness driven to wailing, Anguish at our bosom tears; Then our loved ones we remember; All their grief and trouble rue; Clouds close in on our December And no beam of hope shines through! Oh but then God bends him o'er us! Then his love comes very near! Long we heavenward then -- before us Lo, his angel standing clear! Life's cup fresh to us he reaches; Whispers comfort, courage new; Nor in vain our prayer beseeches Rest for our beloved ones too.
Confirmed with George MacDonald, Rampolli: Growths from a Long Planted Root. Being Translations, New and Old, Chiefly from the German, Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1897.
Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull
Text Authorship:
- by George MacDonald (1824 - 1905), "Spiritual Songs, number 13", appears in Rampolli: Growths from a Long Planted Root. Being Translations, New and Old, Chiefly from the German, first published 1897 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 - 1801), as Novalis, no title, appears in Geistliche Lieder, no. 13
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull
This text was added to the website: 2015-01-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 97