Once and now | Once, when in springtime

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Einst und jetzt

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

  Sonst, wenn's im Lenz begann,
Zu schimmern und zu klingen, 
Wie mußt' in Feld und Tann 
Aus voller Brust ich singen! 
  Doch wehe! viel zu froh 
War mir der Frühling worden! 
Mit nassem Aug' ich floh 
Von seinen grünen Borden. 

  Erst, als im Herbst ich sah 
Die Blätter sich entfärben, 
Und hörte fern und nah 
Der Vöglein Lied ersterben: 
  Trat an ich meinen Gang
Zum lieben Walde wieder, 
Und mit dem Sturmwind sang 
Ich meine Trauerlieder.

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 133.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Einst und jetzt", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 151 [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 August Reiter (1852 - 1914), "Einst und jetzt", op. 16 (Sechs Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 5, published 1882 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Once and now", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-10-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 77

Once and now

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

  Once, when in springtime
It began to shimmer and ring,
How in field and forest I was
Compelled to sing with my whole heart!
  But woe! springtime had become
Much too happy for me!
With tear-wet eyes I fled
From its green banks.

  Only when in autumn I saw
The leaves losing their colour,
And heard far and near
The birdlets' songs die away:
  I betook my way again
To the dear forest,
And with the stormwind I sang
My songs of sorrow.

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), "Einst und jetzt", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 151
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-10-26
Line count: 16
Word count: 84