Tranquil Sea | A storm, with its peals of thunder

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by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850)

Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Meeresstille

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE

Sturm mit seinen Donnerschlägen
Kann mir nicht wie du
So das tiefste Herz bewegen,
Tiefe Meeresruh!

Du allein nur konntest lehren
Uns den schönen Wahn
Seliger Musik der Sphären,
Stiller Ozean!

Nächtlich Meer, nun ist dein Schweigen
So tief ungestört,
Daß die Seele wohl ihr eigen
Träumen klingen hört;

Daß im Schutz geschloss'nen Mundes,
Doch mein Herz erschrickt,
Das Geheimnis heil'gen Bundes
Fester an sich drückt.

Text Authorship:

by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Meeresstille", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Reiseblätter (Viertes Buch) [author's text not yet checked 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 Albert Felix, Graf Amadei (1851 - 1894), "Meeresstille", op. 11 (Fünf Gesänge für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1886 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Senff [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Banck (1809 - 1889), "Meeresstille", op. 69 (Dichtungen von Lenau, für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 14, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
by Toni Edelmann (b. 1945), "Meeresstille", published c2003 [ voice and piano ], from Herbstlieder, no. 10, Helsinki : Sulasol [sung text not yet checked]
by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Meeresstille", op. 9 no. 1 (1876) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Mar en calma", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , "Tranquil Sea", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Mer calme", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Alberto Pedrotti

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 66

Tranquil Sea

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A storm, with its peals of thunder
Cannot, as you can,
So stir the core of my heart,
Deep stillness of the sea!

You alone are able to offer us
The beautiful illusion
Of the sacred music of the spheres,
Peaceful ocean!

Sea at night, your muteness is now
So profoundly undisturbed,
That the soul can clearly hear
The sound of its own dreams;

 So that, guarded by an unspeaking mouth,
My terrified heart might truly
Toward the mystery of sacred unity
Press itself more resolutely.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Michael P Rosewall, (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 Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Meeresstille", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Reiseblätter (Viertes Buch)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-10-01
Line count: 16
Word count: 86