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Lebensfunke, vom Himmel [entglüht]1, Der sich loszuwinden müht! [Zitternd-kühn]2, vor Sehnen leidend, Gern und doch mit Schmerzen scheidend - End' o end' den Kampf, Natur! Sanft ins Leben Aufwärts schweben, Sanft hinschwinden laß mich nur. Horch!, mir lispeln Geister zu: "Schwester-Seele, komm zur Ruh!" Ziehet was mich sanft von hinnen? Was ists, [das]3 mir meine [Sinnen]4, Mir den Hauch zu rauben droht? Seele sprich, ist das der Tod? Die Welt entweicht! Sie ist nicht mehr! [Harmonieen]5 um mich her! Ich [schwimm']6 im Morgenroth - Leiht, o leiht mir eure Schwingen, Ihr [Brüder-Geister]7! helft mir singen: "O Grab, wo ist dein Sieg? wo ist dein Pfeil, o Tod?"
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Zerstreute Blätter von J.G.Herder. Zweite Sammlung. Gotha 1786, bey Carl Wilhelm Ertinger, pages 375-376.
The poem is part of Herder's essay "Wie die Alten den Tod gebildet: ein Nachtrag zu Leßings Abhandlung desselben Inhalts".
1 Herder (1796 edition), and Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "erglüht"2 Schubert: "Zitternd, kühn"
3 Schubert: "was"
4 Schubert: "Sinne"
5 Schubert: "Engel-Einklang"
6 Schubert: "schweb'"
7 Schubert: "Brüder, Geister"
Authorship
- by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), no title, subtitle: "Popens sterbender Christ an seine Seele", first published 1774 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
- a text in English by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744), "The dying Christian to his Soul", written 1712
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Verklärung", D 59 (1813), published 1832 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Transfiguració", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Verheerlijking: De stervende christen tot zijn ziel", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le Christ mourant à son âme", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-07
Line count: 20
Word count: 107
Espurna de vida, del cel encesa, que malda per alliberar-se! Tremolant, audaç, sofrent d’anhel, s’acomiada de grat i tanmateix amb dolor! Posa fi, oh posa fi al combat, Natura! Suaument de la vida, surant cap amunt, deixa’m tan sols esvanir-me dolçament. Escolta! Els esperits em xiuxiuegen: “Ànima germana, vine a reposar!” Què se m’emporta suaument lluny d’aquí? Què és el que amenaça de llevar-me els meus sentits i el meu alè? Digues-me, ànima, és això la mort? El món s’esvaneix! Ha deixat d’existir! Harmonia d’àngels al meu entorn! Vaig surant per l’aurora! Presteu, oh presteu-me les vostres ales, vosaltres esperits fraterns, ajudeu-me a cantar: “Oh sepulcre, on és el teu triomf? On és el teu fibló, oh mort?”
Authorship
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2016 by Salvador Pila, (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.
Contact:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), no title, subtitle: "Popens sterbender Christ an seine Seele", first published 1774
- a text in English by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744), "The dying Christian to his Soul", written 1712
This text was added to the website: 2016-04-29
Line count: 22
Word count: 118