Mute love | They loved each other from their youth

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Stumme Liebe

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Chosen for Diff

Sie liebten sich von Jugend an, 
  Doch Keins gestand's dem Andern, 
Und mußten einsam ihre Bahn 
  Durch's Leben Beide wandern. 

Nie fanden sie das rechte Wort, 
  Und Eines nach dem Andern 
Zog trauernd von der Erde fort 
  Nach langem, bangem Wandern. 

Dort oben erst, wo frei in's Herz 
  Mag Eines schaun dem Andern, 
Ach! dürfen sie nach allem Schmerz 
  Zusammen endlich wandern!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 375.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Stumme Liebe", appears in Liederbuch, in 6. Romanzen, no. 399 [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 Theodor Gaugler (1840 - 1892) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Mute love", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-06-05
Line count: 12
Word count: 62

Mute love

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Chosen for Diff

They loved each other from their youth,
  But none confessed it to the other,
And the two had to walk their path 
  Through life in loneliness.

They never found the right word,
  And one after the other
Passed sorrowing from the earth
  After long, anxious wandering.

Only on high, where one
  Might look into the heart of the other,
Ah! they are finally permitted to walk
  Together after all the pain!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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), "Stumme Liebe", appears in Liederbuch, in 6. Romanzen, no. 399
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-07-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 71