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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.

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by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875)
Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Karwoche
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE FRE ITA
O Woche, Zeugin heiliger Beschwerde!
Du stimmst so ernst zu dieser Frühlingswonne,
Du breitest im verjüngten Strahl der Sonne
Des Kreuzes Schatten auf die lichte Erde,

Und senkest schweigend deine Flöre nieder;
Der Frühling darf indessen immer keimen,
Das Veilchen duftet unter Blütenbäumen
Und alle Vöglein singen Jubellieder.

O schweigt, ihr Vöglein auf den grünen Auen!
Es hallen rings die dumpfen Glockenklänge,
Die Engel singen leise Grabgesänge;
O still, ihr Vöglein hoch im Himmelblauen!

Ihr Veilchen, kränzt heut keine Lockenhaare!
Euch pflückt mein frommes Kind zum dunklen Strausse,
Ihr wandert mit zum Muttergotteshause, 
Da sollt ihr welken auf des Herrn Altare.

Ach dort, von Trauermelodieen trunken,
Und süß betäubt von schweren Weihrauchdüften,
Sucht sie den Bräutigam in Todesgrüften,
Und Lieb' und Frühling, Alles ist versunken!

Confirmed with Mörike, Eduard, Werke, Herausgegeben von Hannsludwig Geiger, Sonderausgabe der Tempel-Klassiker, Emil Vollmer Verlag, Wiesbaden, p. 85.


Text Authorship:

  • by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Karwoche" [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 Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "Karwoche", op. 356 (Vier Lieder nach Eduard Mörike) no. 2 (2023) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Karwoche", from Mörike-Lieder, no. 26 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Setmana Santa", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Holy week", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Semaine sainte", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Semaine Sainte", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Settimana santa", copyright © 2013, (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: 20
Word count: 125

Holy week
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Oh week, witness of the holy passion!
You sound so serious in the joy of this spring,
into the renewed rays of the sun you spread
the shadow of the cross over the illuminated earth

and silently lay down your veil;
meanwhile spring is allowed to continue its bursting forth,
the violet gives off its scent under the blossoming trees
and all the birds sing songs of jubilation.

Oh be quiet, you birds on the green meadows!
The muffled bells resound,
the angels are singing soft funeral songs:
be still you birds up in the blue sky!

You violets, do not adorn any hair today!
My pious child is picking you for a dark wreath,
you will go with her to the house of the mother of God
where you will wither on the Lord's altar.

Oh there, drunk with mournful melodies,
and sweetly sprinkled with the heavy scent of incense,
she is seeking her bridegroom in the grave vaults,
and love, and spring, everything is submerged!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Malcolm Wren, (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 Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Karwoche"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2006-04-07
Line count: 20
Word count: 167

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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