Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Der Odem Gottes weht! Still wird die Sehnsucht wach; Das trunkne Herz vergeht In wundersüßem Ach! Wie löst sich äthermild Der Erde schweres Band, Die heil'ge Thräne quillt, Ach! nach des Himmels Land. Wie mächtig hebt das Herz Sich zu den blauen Höh'n! Was macht vor süßem Schmerz Es ach! so zart vergehn? - O süßer Hochgenuß! Mild, wie des Himmels Thau, Winkt Gottes Feyergruß Hoch aus dem stillen Blau! Und das verwaiste Herz Vernimmt den stillen Ruf, Und sehnt sich heimathwärts Zum Vater, der es schuf!
Confirmed with Die heilige Lyra. Von Johannes Petrus Silbert. Wien, 1819. Gedruckt bey Anton Strauß, pages 214-215.
Authorship
- by Johann Peter Silbert (1772?/7? - 1844), "Himmelsfunken", first published 1819 [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 Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Himmelsfunken", D 651 (1819), published 1831 [ voice, piano ], A.Diabelli & Co., VN 3707, Wien (Nachlaß-Lieferung 10) [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Espurnes del cel", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Vonken uit de hemel", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Messages from heaven", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Message céleste", copyright © 2012, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 87
The breath of God blows gently, and silently, longing awakens; the intoxicated heart faints in wonderfully sweet agony. How it dissolves in the mild air - the heavy bonds of earthly life! Sacred tears flow, alas! for that heavenly land. How powerfully does the heart lift itself toward those blue heights! But alas! why, with such sweet pain, does it so tenderly faint? - O sweet bliss! Mildly, like the dew of heaven, does God's solemn greeting beckon from high in the still blue! And the orphaned heart hears the quiet call, and longs to return home to the Father who created it!
Authorship
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 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 -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Peter Silbert (1772?/7? - 1844), "Himmelsfunken", first published 1819
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 103