How blessed was your life! | How blessed was your life

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Wie selig war dein Leben!

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Wie selig war dein Leben, 
Dein Schlummer lind und sacht, 
Als einst mit süßem Beben 
Die Mutter dich bewacht; 
  An deiner Wiege tönten
Die ersten Lieder hell, 
Zum Paradies verschönten 
Dein Kämmerlein zur Stell! 

  Und kommt sie denn nicht wieder
Die alte, schöne Zeit? 
Sind ganz verhallt die Lieder 
Von erster Seligkeit? 
  Nein, Traute, wem bescheret
Der holden Minne Glück, 
Dem kehret, nur verkläret, 
Das alte Glück zurück! 

  An deines Liebsten Herzen 
Komm, ruh' als wie ein Kind, 
Komm, daß ich alle Schmerzen 
Dir heile sanft und lind! 
  Ach, Alles dir verschönen 
Möcht' ich voll Liebesdrang, 
So mag dies Lied dir tönen 
Wie erster Wiegensang!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 180-181.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Wie selig war dein Leben!", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 205 [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 Rudolf Löw-Burckhardt (1832 - 1898) [sung text not yet checked]
by Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "How blessed was your life!", 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: 2025-11-23
Line count: 24
Word count: 106

How blessed was your life!

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  How blessed was your life,
Your slumber soft and gentle,
When once upon a time with sweet trembling
Your mother kept watch over you;
  By your cradle there sounded
The first songs brightly,
They immediately made your little chamber
As beautiful as paradise!

  And does it never return,
The old, lovely time?
Have the songs of the first bliss
Utterly died away?
  No, dear, to those whom was given
The happiness of dear love,
The old happiness returns,
Only it is transfigured!

  Upon your beloved's breast,
Come, rest like a child,
Come, so that I may softly
And gently heal all your pain!
  Ah, full of the urging of love, I would like
To make everything more beautiful for you,
So that this song may sound to you
Like your first cradle song!

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), "Wie selig war dein Leben!", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 205
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-04-08
Line count: 24
Word count: 134