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Am Himmelsantlitz wandelt ein Gedanke, Die düstre Wolke dort, so bang, so schwer; Wie auf dem Lager sich der Seelenkranke, Wirft sich der Strauch im Winde hin und her. Vom Himmel tönt ein schwermutmattes Grollen, Die dunkle Wimper blinzet manches Mal, - So blinzen Augen, wenn sie weinen wollen, - Und aus der Wimper zuckt ein schwacher Strahl. Nun schleichen aus dem Moore kühle Schauer Und leise Nebel übers Heideland; Der Himmel ließ, nachsinnend seiner Trauer, Die Sonne lässig fallen aus der Hand.
Authorship
- by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Himmelstrauer", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Heidebilder [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 Carl von Grote , "Himmelstrauer", op. 36 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Stimme mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 4, published 1886 [medium voice and piano], Braunschweig, Bauer [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Himmelstrauer", op. 5 no. 1 (1905) [voice and piano], from Drei Gedichte von Lenau, no. 1 [ sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation by Gustaf Fröding (1860 - 1911) , "Hedstämning" ENG FRE ; composed by Natanael Berg.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Heaven's grief", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Tristesse du ciel", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Jakob Kellner
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 83
Across the face of heaven wanders a thought, that dark cloud there, so anxious, so heavy; like a man sick to his soul in his bed, the bushes whip back and forth in the wind. From the sky comes a melancholy and languid rumbling, the dark eye blinks many times, (thus do eyes blink when they wish to weep) and from the eyelid twitches a faint beam. Now cool showers creep up from the moors, and mists come quietly over the heathlands; heaven dwells on its sadness; and lets the sun drop from its hand.
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 Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Himmelstrauer", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Heidebilder
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 96