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by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870)

If that high world
Language: English 
If that high world -- which lies beyond
   Our own, surviving love endears;
If there the cherished heart be fond,
   The eye the same -- except in tears --
How welcome those untrodden spheres!
   How sweet this very hour to die!
To soar from earth and find all fears
   Lost in thy light -- eternity!

It must be so -- 'tis not for self
   That we so tremble on the brink,
And striving to o'erleap the gulph,
   Yet cling to Being's breaking link.
Oh! in that future let us think
   To hold each heart the heart that shares;
With them the immortal waters drink,
   And soul in soul grow deathless theirs!

Text Authorship:

  • by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "If that high world", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 3, first published 1815 [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 David Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "If that high world", published 1969 [ voice and piano ], from Hebrew melodies, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Otto Luening (1900 - 1996), "If that high world", published 1941 [ SSA chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by James Nary , "If that high world", published 1876 [ voice and piano ], from Lord Byron's Hebrew Melodies [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "If that high world", published 1815 [ voice and piano ], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Friedrich Eduard Wilsing (1809 - 1893), "If that high world", <<1893 [ voice and piano ], from Hebrew Melodies, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , "Die höh're Welt", appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 ; composed by Carl Loewe, Friedrich Eduard Wilsing.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Karl Julius Körner (1793 - 1873) , "Die beßre Welt", appears in Israelitische Gesänge, no. 3 ; composed by Heinrich August Marschner.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870) , "Wenn in der Welt, die droben liegt", appears in Hebräische Melodien, no. 3, first published 1841 ; composed by Karl Müller, Max Seifriz.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Dmitry Lavrentevich Mikhailovsky (1828 - 1905) , no title ; composed by Sigizmund Vladislavovich Zaremba.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "Si dans ce monde céleste", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 3


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-05-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 106

Wenn in der Welt, die droben liegt
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Wenn in der Welt, die droben liegt,
  Sich noch die Liebe wird bewähren,
Uns dort ein Herz entgegenfliegt
  Mit treuem Blick, doch ohnen Zähren -
Dann seid willkommen, fremde Sphären,
  Dann sei willkommen Sterbenszeit,
Wo wir uns frei von Furcht verklären
  In deinem Licht, o Ewigkeit!

So muss es sein; das Selbst nicht macht
  Am Grabesrand uns so erheben,
Dass wir noch selbst im Todesschacht
  An unserm fliehenden Dasein kleben.
O! denket nur an jenes Leben,
  Wo sich das Herz dem Herzen weiht,
Wo Seelen sich um Seelen weben
  Beim Tranke der Unsterblichkeit.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870), "Wenn in der Welt, die droben liegt", appears in Hebräische Melodien, no. 3, first published 1841 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in English by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "If that high world", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 3, first published 1815
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Karl Müller (flourished c1862), "Wenn in der Welt, die droben liegt", op. 6 no. 2, published 1862 [ high voice and piano quartet ], from Hebräische Melodien, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Max Seifriz (1827 - 1885), "Wenn in der Welt", op. 4 no. 3, published 1863 [ SATB quartet ], from 8 Hebrew Melodies (Hebräische Melodien) by Lord Byron. Deutsch v. A. Böttger, no. 3, Leipzig, Schuberth u. Co. [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Bertram Kottmann

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-22
Line count: 16
Word count: 92

Gentle Reminder

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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