The old snow, the blue of the sky

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Der Firnen Schnee, des Himmels Blau

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Der Firnen Schnee, des Himmels Blau,
Die Alpenrose zu Füßen,
Wie froh sie alle, schau, o schau,
Du schlanke Tanne, dich grüßen!

Mit frischen Blüthen das Gestein,
Das Grün mit goldener Treue;
O wie sie dich im Abendschein
[Umwerben]¹ lächelnd auf's neue!

Du aber flüsterst leise nur
Mit freudig holdem Verneigen:
Dem Sturm allein, dem gilt mein Schwur,
Ihm bleib' ich ewig zu eigen!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• B. Randhartinger

About the headline (FAQ)

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 96-97.

¹ Randhartinger: "Umweben"

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Die Alpentanne", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 107 [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 Gustav Flügel (1812 - 1900) [sung text not yet checked]
by Johann Jakob Nater (1826 - 1906), "Die Bergtanne", published 1872 [ satb chorus ], from Alpenrosen. Zwölf Lieder für gemischten Chor., no. 6, Zürich: Fries [sung text not yet checked]
by Benedikt Randhartinger (1802 - 1893), "Die Alpentanne" [sung text checked 1 time]
by Philipp Tietz (1816 - 1878) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , 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: 2021-01-03
Line count: 12
Word count: 65

The old snow, the blue of the sky

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The old snow, the blue of the sky,
The alpine rose at your feet,
How happily -- see, oh see --
They all greet you, you slender fir!

The rocks with fresh blooms,
The green with golden faithfulness;
Oh, how in the evening radiance
They [court you]¹ anew with a smile!

But you only whisper quietly
With a joyful, lovely bowing:
My vow is only to the storm,
I belong eternally [to the storm]!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Translations of titles:
"Die Alpentanne" = "The alpine fir"
"Die Bergtanne" = "The mountain fir"

¹ Randhartinger: "Weaves about you"

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), "Die Alpentanne", appears in Liederbuch, in 1. Naturlieder, no. 107
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-07-23
Line count: 12
Word count: 73