Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
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.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
O Gott, ich bin voll Traurigkeit... Nimm mein Herz in deine Hände, Bis der Abend geht zu Ende In steter Wiederkehr der Zeit. O Gott, ich bin so müd', o, Gott, Der Wolkenmann und Wolkenfrau Sie spielen mit mir -- himmelblau In Sommer immer, lieber Gott. Und glaube unserm Monde, Gott, Denn er umhüllte mich mit Schein, Als hilflos noch und klein, --Ein Flämmchen Seele.-- O, Gott und ist sie auch voll Fehle, Nimm sie still in deine Hände... Damit sie leuchtend in dir ende.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Else Lasker-Schüler, Werke und Briefe. Kritische Ausgabe, herausgegeben von Norbert Oellers, Heinze Rölleke und Itta Shedletzky, Band 1 Gedichte, bearbeitet von Karl Jürgen Skrodzki unter Mitarbeit von Norbert Oellers, Frankfurt am Main: Jüdischer Verlag im Suhrkamp Verlag, 1996, page 259-260.
Note: Some editions give the word "O" as "Oh" throughout the poem. In addition, some editions have "seine Frau" instead of "Wolkenfrau" in stanza 2, line 2.
Text Authorship:
- by Else Lasker-Schüler (1869 - 1945), "Gebet", appears in Mein blaues Klavier, Jerusalem, first published 1943 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Hans Georg Bertram (1936 - 2013), "Oh Gott, ich bin voll Traurigkeit" [ voice and orchestra ], from oratorio Meditatio Vitae: »O Gott, wie soll dich meine Klage rühren«, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sharon Eitan (b. 1961), "Gebet", 1992 [ soprano and piano ], from Else Lasker-Schüler Song Cycle, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann Große-Schware (b. 1931), "Gebet", 1990 [ mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Hildemann (1925 - 1995), "Oh Gott ich bin voll Traurigkeit", 1993 [ chorus and orchestra ], from cantata Requiem Judaicum in zwei Sätzen für 7-stimmigen gemischten Chor und Orchester, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf Kornberger (b. 1920), "Oh Gott ich bin voll Traurigkeit", 1966-1993 [ voice and piano ], from Meinwärts. Liederzyklus , no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ulrich Küchl (b. 1943), "Gebet", op. 2 no. 1 (1982), first performed 1982 [ medium voice and piano ], from Aus der Tiefe. Liederzyklus für mittlere Stimme und Klavier, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eric Mayr (b. 1962), "Gebet", 2021, first performed 2022 [ soprano and piano ], from Mein blaues Klavier, 32 Lieder für Sopran und Klavier, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leo Nadelmann (1913 - 1998), "Gebet", 1968 [ soprano and piano or orchestra ], from Mein blaues Klavier: Ein Requiem für Else Lasker-Schüler. Fünf Lieder für Sopran und Klavier, no. 3, Zürich; Wien: Universal Editions [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Gebet II", 1986/2005 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from 54 Lieder für Mezzosopran und Klavier, no. 21 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frank Scholzen (b. 1968), "Gebet", 1993 [ high voice and instrumental ensemble ], from Komposition für hohe Singstimme und sieben Instrumente (mit Dirigent), no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Thomas F. Schubert (b. 1961), "Gebet" [ soprano and orchestra ], from . . . eine Traumzeit von tausend Jahren. Gesänge für Sopran und Orchester, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sybil Westendorp (1910 - 1999), "Gebet", 1980 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Karl Bellenberg [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2012-11-09
Line count: 15
Word count: 84
Oh God, I am full of sadness . . . Take my heart into Thy hands, Until the evening ends In the constant return of time. Oh God, I am so weary, oh, God, The cloud-man and cloud-woman They play with me – sky-blue In summer always, dear God. And believe our moon, God, For it shrouded me with radiance, When still helpless and small, -- A little flame of a soul. -- Oh God, and though it be full of flaws, Take it quietly into your hands . . . So that, shining, it might expire within Thee.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Gebet" = "Prayer"
"Gebet II" = "Prayer II"
"Oh Gott ich bin voll Traurigkeit" = "Oh God, I am full of sadness"
Note: in stanza 2, line 2, some editions have instead of "Wolkenfrau" the words "seine Frau", which can be translated "his wife"
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 Else Lasker-Schüler (1869 - 1945), "Gebet", appears in Mein blaues Klavier, Jerusalem, first published 1943
This text was added to the website: 2024-08-20
Line count: 15
Word count: 97