Song of May | Is it the breezes that are singing?

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Maigesang

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Sind's die Lüfte, die da singen?
Ist's [des Lerchenjubels Schall]¹?
  Sind's die Düfte, die da klingen?
Ist's das Lied der Nachtigall?

  Sind es Blüthen, die da fliegen,
Los vom Stengel, hoch im Blau?
  Sind es Falter, die sich wiegen
Ob der maienfrischen Au?

  Singt ihr Feierlied die Sonne
Hoch am lichten Himmelsplan?
  Hebt der Wald vor Lust und Wonne
Tief im Grund zu rauschen an?

  Alles will hinan sich schwingen
In demselben Freudendrang;
  O glückselig, wem gelingen
Mag ein solcher Maigesang!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• L. Keller

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 37-38.

¹ Keller: "der Lerchen Jubelschall"

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Maigesang", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 39 [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 Ludwig Keller (1847 - 1930), "Maigesang" [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Song of May", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2023-04-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 83

Song of May

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  Is it the breezes that are singing?
Is it the [sound of lark-rejoicing]¹?
  Is it scents that are ringing?
Is it the song of the nightingale?

  Is it blossoms that are flying,
Free from their stem, high in the azure?
  Is it butterflies that sway
Above the May-fresh meadow?

  Is the sun singing its celebratory song
High upon the bright plane of heaven?
  Does the forest far in its depths begin
To sough for joy and bliss?

  Everything wishes to soar upward
In the same urging of happiness;
  Oh, rapturous is the person who can
Achieve such a May-song!

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Keller: "rejoicing sound of the larks"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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), "Maigesang", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 39
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-04-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 101