The heavenly stars are fair but cold | The heavenly stars are fair but cold

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by Adolf Friedrich, Graf von Schack (1815 - 1894)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Schön sind, doch kalt die Himmelssterne

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA

Schön sind, doch kalt die Himmelssterne,
Die Gaben karg, die sie verleihn;
Für einen deiner Blicke gerne
Hin geb' ich ihren goldnen Schein.

Getrennt, so daß wir ewig darben,
Nur führen sie im Jahreslauf
Den Herbst mit seinen Ährengarben,
Des Frühlings Blütenpracht herauf.

Doch deine Augen -- o, der Segen
Des ganzen Jahres quillt überreich
Aus ihnen stets als milder Regen,
Die Blüte und Frucht zugleich!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. Strauss

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Adolf Friedrich, Graf von Schack (1815 - 1894), no title, appears in Lotosblätter, in 4. Verwehte Blätter, no. 4 [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 Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Schön sind, doch kalt die Himmelssterne", op. 19 (Sechs Lieder aus "Lotosblätter" von Aldolf Friedrich Graf von Schack) no. 3, published 1888 [ high voice and piano ], München, Aibl [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Són formoses, però fredes, les estrelles del cel", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Mooi zijn, maar koud de hemelsterren", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The heavenly stars are fair but cold", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Les étoiles du ciel sont belles mais froides", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Sono belle, ma fredde", copyright © 2005, (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: 12
Word count: 65

The heavenly stars are fair but cold

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

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The heavenly stars are fair but cold,
the gifts that they lend meager;
for one look from you I would gladly
give up their golden gleam.

So that we are always starved, only separately
do they bring out in the course of a year
autumn with its ears of corn
and spring with its splendour of blossoms;

yet from your eyes - oh, the blessing
of the entire year springs richly,
as constant as a mild rain:
with both blossom and fruit.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust, (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 Adolf Friedrich, Graf von Schack (1815 - 1894), no title, appears in Lotosblätter, in 4. Verwehte Blätter, no. 4
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 81