Light and Love | Love is a sweet light

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by Matthäus Kasimir von Collin (1779 - 1824)

Translation © by Malcolm Halliday

Liebe ist ein süßes Licht

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA SPA SPA

Männliche Stimme.
  Liebe ist ein süßes Licht.
  Wie die Erde strebt zur Sonne,
  Und zu jenen hellen Sternen
  In den weiten blauen Fernen,
  Strebt das Herz nach Liebeswonne:
  Denn sie ist ein süßes Licht.

Weibliche Stimme.
  Sieh! wie hoch in stiller Feyer
  Droben helle Sterne funkeln:
  Von der Erde fliehn die dunkeln
  Schwermuthsvollen trüben Schleyer.
  Wehe mir! [doch]¹ wie so trübe
  Fühl ich tief mich im Gemüthe,
  Das in Freuden sonst erblühte,
  Nun vereinsamt, ohne Liebe.

Beyde Stimmen.
  Liebe ist ein süßes Licht.
  Wie die Erde strebt zur Sonne,
  Und zu jenen hellen Sternen
  In den weiten blauen Fernen,
  Strebt das Herz nach Liebeswonne:
  [Denn sie]² ist ein süßes Licht.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Schubert

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Dramatische Dichtungen von Matthäus von Collin. Erster Band. Friedrich der Streitbare. - Der Cid. Pesth 1813, bey Konrad Adolph Hartleben, pages 95-96.

¹ omitted by Schubert.
² Schubert: "Liebe"

Text Authorship:

by Matthäus Kasimir von Collin (1779 - 1824), no title, appears in Der Tod Friedrich des Streitbaren. Ein Trauerspiel in fünf Aufzügen, Act IV, Scene 2 [author's text checked 2 times 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), "Licht und Liebe", subtitle: "Nachtgesang", D 352 (1816?), published 1847 [ vocal duet with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by Emily Ezust (b. 1972) , no title, copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Gary Bachlund.

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

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 23
Word count: 112

Light and Love

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

(Male voice)
Love is a sweet light.
As the earth aspires to the sun 
and to those bright stars 
in the distant expanse of blue, 
so longs the heart for the bliss of love, 
since it is such sweet illumination.

(Female voice)
Hark! so high in quiet celebration
sparkle the bright stars above.
The dark veils of sadness 
flee from the earth.
Alas! How sad do I feel 
in the depths of my soul, 
which once in joy flourished,
but now is isolated and without love. 

(Both voices)
Love is a sweet light.
As the earth aspires to the sun 
and to those bright stars 
in the distant expanse of blue, 
so longs the heart for the bliss of love, 
since it is such sweet illumination.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 by Malcolm Halliday, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Matthäus Kasimir von Collin (1779 - 1824), no title, appears in Der Tod Friedrich des Streitbaren. Ein Trauerspiel in fünf Aufzügen, Act IV, Scene 2
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-07-19
Line count: 23
Word count: 126