O joy, o joy | O joy, o joy, from mountain top

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by Hermann Rollett (1819 - 1904)

Translation © by David Kenneth Smith

O Lust, o Lust, vom Berg ein Lied

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

O Lust, o Lust, vom Berg ein Lied
In's Land [hinabzusingen]¹!
Der kleinste Ton [hinunterzieht]²,
So wie auf Riesenschwingen!

Der stillste Hauch aus lauter Brust,
In Leid und Lust entrungen,
Er wird zum Klange, unbewußt
Für alle Welt gesungen.

Es schwingt sich erd- und himmelwärts
Der Seele klingend Sehnen,
Und fällt der ganzen Welt an's Herz --
Ob freudig, ob in Thränen.

Was still sonst nur die Brust durchzieht,
Fliegt aus auf lauten Schwingen, --
O Lust, o Lust, vom Berg ein Lied
In's Land [hinabzusingen]¹!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• C. Schumann

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Jucunde von Hermann Rollett, Leipzig, Verlag von Otto Wigand, 1853, pages 31-32.

¹ Schumann: "hinab zu singen"
² Schumann: "hinunter zieht"

Text Authorship:

by Hermann Rollett (1819 - 1904), no title, appears in Jucunde, first published 1853 [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 Louis Anger (1813 - 1870), "Aus Jucunde", op. 11 (Fünf Lieder) no. 2, published 1860 [ four-part men's chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896), "O Lust, o Lust", op. 23 no. 6, published 1856 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder, no. 6, Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (David Kenneth Smith) , "O joy, o joy", copyright © 1996, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 88

O joy, o joy

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

 O joy, o joy, from mountain top
 through all the land I'm singing!
The smallest tone dives ever down,
 like giant eagles winging!

 The softest breath from singing breast,
 when born in joy and grieving,
 is turned to song and unbeknownst
 to all the world is sung forth.

It wings on earth- and heavenward
 this ringing spirit pining
 and moves the whole world at its heart -
 to laughter or to crying.

 What only in the heart is known,
 flies out on wings a-ringing
O joy, o joy, from mountain top
 through all the land I'm singing!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 1996 by David Kenneth Smith, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.
David Kenneth Smith. Contact: dksmith (AT) geneva.edu

If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hermann Rollett (1819 - 1904), no title, appears in Jucunde, first published 1853
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 97