Blessed world | I float upon the ocean of life

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by Johann Chrysostomos Senn (1795 - 1857)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Selige Welt

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FIN FRE ITA SPA

Ich treibe auf des Lebens Meer,
Ich sitze gemuth in meinem Kahn,
Nicht Ziel, noch Steuer hin und her,
Wie die Strömung reißt, wie die Winde gahn.

Eine selige Insel sucht der Wahn,
Doch eine ist es nicht.
Du lande gläubig überall an,
Wo sich Wasser an Erde bricht.

Note: Schubert received Senn's poem in handwritten form. Senn did not publish it in any printed edition.

Text Authorship:

by Johann Chrysostomos Senn (1795 - 1857) [author's text not yet checked 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 Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Selige Welt", op. 23 (Vier Lieder) no. 2, D 743 (1822?), published 1823 [ voice, piano ], Sauer & Leidesdorf, VN 367, Wien [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Món benaurat", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Zalige wereld", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Blessed world", copyright © 2016
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Aleksi Reunanen) , "Autuas maailma", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Monde béni", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Mondo beato", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Lewis Grenville) , "Mundo feliz", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 49

Blessed world

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I float upon the ocean of life,
I sit happily in my boat,
With neither destination nor rudder, [going] here and there
As the current flows, as the winds blow.

Folly seeks the blessed island,
But there isn't one.
You will disembark anywhere with full trust,
Wherever water breaks on land.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Chrysostomos Senn (1795 - 1857)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-29
Line count: 8
Word count: 51