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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825 - 1898)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Liederseelen
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
In der Nacht, die die Bäume mit Blüten deckt,
Ward ich von süßen Gespenstern erschreckt,
Ein Reigen schwang im Garten sich,
Den ich mit leisem Fuß beschlich;
Wie zarter Elfen Chor im Ring
Ein weißer, lebendiger Schimmer ging.
Die Schemen hab' ich keck befragt:
Wer seid ihr, luftige Wesen? Sagt!

"Ich bin ein Wölkchen, gespiegelt im See."
"Ich bin eine Reihe von Stapfen im Schnee."
"Ich bin ein Seufzer [gen]1 Himmel empor!"
"Ich bin ein Geheimnis, geflüstert ins Ohr!"
"Ich bin ein frommes, gestorbenes Kind."
"Ich bin ein üppiges Blumengewind -"
"Und die du wählst, und der's beschied
Die Gunst der Stunde, die wird ein Lied."

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Zumpe 

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Zumpe: "zum"

Text Authorship:

  • by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825 - 1898), "Liederseelen" [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 Hermann Behn (1857?9 - 1927), "Liederseelen", op. 5 (Vier Gedichte für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4 (1893?), published 1893 [ medium voice and piano ], Mainz, Schott (with no opus number); published 1896 in Leipzig by Kistner as opus 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Michael Brough (b. 1960), "Liederseelen", op. 12 (Vierzehn Lieder) no. 12 (1997-8) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wilhelm Kempff (1895 - 1991), "Liederseelen", op. 56 no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Müller-Zürich (1898 - 1993), "Liederseelen", op. 15 (Vier Duette) no. 3 (1928) [ duet for soprano and alto with small orchestra ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Liederseelen", op. 60 no. 2 (1946) [ medium voice and piano ], from Das stille Leuchten: Liederfolge nach Gedichten von Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, no. 2, Wien: Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hermann Zumpe , "Liederseelen" [ voice and piano ], from Fünf Lieder, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Souls of song", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Âmes des chansons", 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: 16
Word count: 107

Âmes des chansons
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Dans la nuit qui couvre les arbres de fleurs
Je fus effrayé par de gentils esprits,
Une ronde s'élançait dans le jardin,
Dans laquelle je me glissai, le pied léger ;
Comme un délicat chœur d'elfes en cercle
Une blanche et vivante lueur passa.
Aux fantômes, j'ai hardiment demandé
« Qui êtes-vous, créatures aériennes ? dites ! »

« Je suis un petit nuage, reflété dans le lac. »
« Je suis une suite de pas dans la neige. »
« Je suis un soupir montant vers le ciel ! »
« Je suis un secret murmuré à l'oreille ! »
« je suis un pieux garçon disparu. »
« je suis une exubérante tresse de fleurs -- »
« Et celle que tu choisis, et à qui sourit
La faveur de l'instant, deviendra une chanson. »

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825 - 1898), "Liederseelen"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2011-10-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 131

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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