Springtime lament | Little clouds scud in the heights

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Frühlingsklage

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Wölklein ziehen in den Höhn, 
Schnell gejagt von lauen Lüften;
Wiesen stehn so wunderschön,
Veilchen rings im [Thale]¹ düften!
  Aber fern im Haine schon,
  Horch! welch banger Klageton!

  Weiß es wohl, o Nachtigall, 
Ach! was mir dein Lied will sagen! 
Kenn' ihn wohl, der Wehmuth Schall 
In den allerschönsten Tagen! 
  Mir auch zittert's durch Gemüth, 
  Wie so bald der Lenz verblüht!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• A. Holländer

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 44.

¹ Holländer: "Grase"

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Frühlingsklage", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 48 [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 Agathon Billeter (1834 - 1881) [sung text not yet checked]
by Gustav Flügel (1812 - 1900) [sung text not yet checked]
by Alexis Holländer (1840 - 1924), "Frühlingsklage", op. 16 (Drei Duette für Sopran und Alt) no. 2, published 1870 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ], Berlin: Verlag von Wilhelm Müller [sung text checked 1 time]
by Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]
by Benedict Widmann (1820 - 1910) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Springtime lament", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-01-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 63

Springtime lament

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  Little clouds scud in the heights,
Quickly chased about by balmy breezes;
Meadows stand wondrously beautiful,
Violets disperse their scent all about the [valley]¹!
   But already, far away in the grove,
  Hark! what an anxious sound of lamenting!

  I know well, oh nightingale,
Ah! what your song wishes to tell me!
I know well the sound of melancholy
During the most beautiful of days!
  It trembles also through my spirit,
  How very quickly springtime fades!

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Holländer: "grass"

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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Frühlingsklage", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 48
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-01-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 77