Why then do songs resound heavenwards? | Why then do songs

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Warum doch erschallen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Warum doch erschallen
himmelwärts die Lieder?
Zögen gerne nieder
Sterne, die droben
Blinken und wallen,
Zögen sich Lunas
Lieblich Umarmen,
Zögen die warmen,
Wonnigen Tage
Seliger Götter
Gern uns herab!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), appears in Was wir bringen [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Warum?", op. 92 (Vier Quartette) no. 4 (<<1884), published 1884 [ satb chorus and piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Aus dem Vorspiel: Was wir bringen", published 1802 [ vocal trio of female voices and piano or harp ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Why then do songs resound heavenwards?", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Pourquoi", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 11
Word count: 30

Why then do songs resound heavenwards?

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

 Why then do songs
 resound heavenward?
 They would gladly lure down
 the stars, which
 gleam and wander above;
 they would entice Luna's
 lovely embraces,
 and invoke the warm,
 blissful days
 of blessed gods -
 gladly would they do this!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), appears in Was wir bringen
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 11
Word count: 39