Bliss | Joys without number

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by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776) and by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Seligkeit

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG ENG FRE ITA SPA SPA

Freuden sonder Zahl
Blühn im Himmelssaal
[Engeln]¹ und Verklärten,
Wie die Väter lehrten.
O da möcht ich sein,
Und mich [freun, mich freun]²!

Jedem lächelt traut
Eine Himmelsbraut;
Harf' und Psalter klinget,
Und man tanzt und singet.
O da möcht' ich sein,
Und mich ewig freun!

Lieber bleib' ich hier,
Lächelt Laura mir
Einen Blick, der saget,
Daß ich ausgeklaget.
Selig dann mit Ihr,
Bleib' ich ewig hier!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Lang • F. Schubert

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Ludewig Heinrich Christoph Hölty. Neu besorgt und vermehrt von Johann Heinrich Voss. Hamburg, bei Carl Ernst Bohn. 1804, pages 191-192.

This is the version of Hölty's poem heavily reworked by Voß. For the original version, with the title Minnelied, see below.

¹ Lang: "Engel"
² Lang, Schubert: "ewig freun"

Text Authorship:

by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Seligkeit", written 1773 [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]
by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826), "Seligkeit", written 1773 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Blasser , "Seligkeit", op. 20 (Hölty-Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte), Heft 3 no. 9, published 1880 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Kratochwill [sung text not yet checked]
by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Seligkeit", op. 2 (Sechs teutsche [sic] Lieder) no. 2, published 1834 [ voice and piano ], München, Falter und Sohn, note: first published without an opus number; designated by Lang in 1867 as op. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Seligkeit", D 433 (1816), published 1895 [sung text checked 1 time]

Another version of this text exists in the database.

Go to the text. [ view differences ]

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

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 68

Bliss

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

 Joys without number
 bloom in heaven's hall
 of angels and transfigured beings,
 just as our fathers taught us.
 O, there I would like to be
 and rejoice forever!
 
 Upon everyone dearly smiles
 a heavenly bride;
 harp and psalter resound,
 and everyone dances and sings.
 O, there I would like to be
 and rejoice forever!
 
 But I'd rather remain here
 if Laura would smile at me
 with one glance that said
 I should end my lamenting.
 Blissfully then with her,
 I would stay here forever!

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 Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748 - 1776), "Seligkeit", written 1773 and by Johann Heinrich Voss (1751 - 1826), "Seligkeit", written 1773
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 84