Briskly dared! | If spring comes already in winter

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Frisch gewagt

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Kommt der Lenz im Winter schon, 
Ei! wer wird's ihm wehren, 
Und nicht gleich im Jubelton 
Singen ihm zu Ehren! 
  Sind die Vögel auch noch fern, 
Sieh! wie keck verwegen 
Lachen Blumen, Stern an Stern,
Schon der Sonn' entgegen!

  Fängt der Wald zu knospen an,
Ohne lang zu fragen;
Grünen Feld und Wiesenplan
Lustig ohne Zagen;
  Säumen lieblich um und um
Sich die Wolkenränder:
Ei! wer schaute blöd und stumm
Erst in den Kalender!

  Kommt der Lenz, und macht's ein Mal
Recht nach seinem Kopfe,
Nimmt den Winter ohne Wahl
Unsanft gleich beim Schopfe:
  Dankt, o dankt ihm unverzagt, 
Ei! und faßt's zu Sinnen: 
Frisch nur stets und froh gewagt, 
Wer da will gewinnen!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 8.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Frisch gewagt!", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 6 [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 (Carl or Caspar) Joseph Brambach (1833 - 1902), "Frisch gewagt", op. 36 (Sechs Gesänge für Männerstimmen), Heft 2 no. 4, published 1876 [ men's chorus ], Bonn: Cohen [sung text not yet checked]
by Casimir Meister (1869 - 1941), "Frisch gewagt", op. 52 (Männerchöre) no. 2, published 1905 [ men's chorus ], Zürich: Ph. Fries [sung text not yet checked]
by Friedrich Schneeberger (1843 - 1906) [sung text not yet checked]
by Bernhard Zorn , "Frisch gewagt", op. 7 (Drei Lieder für eine mittlere Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1883 [ medium voice and piano ], Berlin: Paez [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Briskly dared!", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2024-06-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 115

Briskly dared!

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  If spring comes already in winter,
Well! who shall deter it,
And not immediately in rejoicing tones
Sing in its honour!
  Though the bird be yet distant,
Lo! how perkily and recklessly
Flowers, star beside star,
Laugh to meet the sun!

  The forest begins to bud
Without any long questioning;
Fields and meadows grow green
Merrily without hesitation;
  The edges of the clouds are bordered
Round and round with loveliness:
Well! who would, dully and mutely,
Stand staring into the calendar!

  When spring comes and once acts
Exactly as it pleases,
Without choosing, takes winter 
Roughly by the hair:
  Then thank, oh thank it undismayed,
Yes! and grasp it with your spirit:
Only always briskly and gladly dared,
Whoever wishes to win!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Frisch gewagt!", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 6
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-06-12
Line count: 24
Word count: 123