The little church | You little chuch there at the edge of the sky

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Das Kirchlein

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Chosen for Diff

Du Kirchlein dort am Himmelssaum, 
Fern, fern, im letzten Abendstrahl! 
O wie entfacht mit einem Mal 
Dein Gruß in mir so schönen Traum! 

Bist du's, bist du's, o Kirchlein, sag, 
Drin eine Heerde brüderlich 
Im einen Geist des Friedens sich, 
Im einen Glauben sammeln mag? 

Bist du's, bist du's? -- So lange schon 
Such' ich die Stätte nah und fern! --
Drin himmlisch rein zu Gott dem Herrn 
Sich schwingt der Liebe Jubelton? --

Mein Kirchlein! jäh am Himmelssaum 
Versinkst du mit dem letzten Strahl! 
Ach wann, ach wann erfüllt ein Mal 
Auf Erden sich mein schöner Traum?

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 303.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Das Kirchlein", appears in Liederbuch, in 5. Vermischte Lieder, no. 326 [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 Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The little church", 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: 2026-02-16
Line count: 16
Word count: 95

The little church

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Chosen for Diff

You little chuch there at the edge of the sky,
Far, far away, in the last evening sunbeam!
Oh how all of a sudden your greeting
Ignites such a beautiful dream within me!

Is it you, is it you, oh tell me, little church,
In which a single flock may gather
As brethren in a united spirit of peace,
In a united belief?

Is it you, is it you? -- For so long already
I have searched for that place far and wide! --
[Are you the place] in which the rejoicing sound of love,
Arises, heavenly pure , to God the Lord? --

My little church! precipitously perched at the edge of the sky
You sink [from sight] with the last sunbeam!
Ah when, ah when shall my beautiful dream
Be realized on earth sometime?

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), "Das Kirchlein", appears in Liederbuch, in 5. Vermischte Lieder, no. 326
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-07-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 133