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Wärst du nicht, heil'ger Abendschein! Wärst du nicht, sternerhellte Nacht! Du Blütenschmuck! du üpp'ger Hain! Und du, Gebirg' voll ernster Pracht! Du, Vogelsang aus Himmeln hoch! Du, Lied aus voller Menschenbrust! Wärst du nicht – ach! was füllte noch In arger Zeit ein Herz mit Lust? --
Confirmed with: Kerners Werke, Zweiter Teil, Gedichte, ed. Raimund Pissin, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., 1914, page 171
Text Authorship:
- by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Frage", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte [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 Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Frage", op. 35 no. 9 (1840), published 1841 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Gedichte von Justinus Kerner, no. 9, Leipzig, Klemm
Score: IMSLP [external link] [sung text checked 1 time] - by (Philipp) Friedrich Silcher (1789 - 1860), "Frage", op. 12 no. 5, published 1829 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder von Justinus Kerner, no. 5, Stuttgart: Zumsteeg'sche Musikalienhandlung [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Philipp) Friedrich Silcher (1789 - 1860), "Frage", published 1846 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from [Zwölf] Melodien aus Beethoven's Sonaten und Sinfonien zu Liedern für Sopran (oder Tenor), no. 5, Stuttgart, Zumsteeg [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Interrogació", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Een vraag", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Question", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Interrogation", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Domanda", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 46
If you did not exist, holy evening glow! If you did not exist, starlit night! You jewel-like blossoms! You lush grove! And you, mountains, full of solemn splendour! You birdsong high in the heavens! You song from a full human breast! If you did not exist, alas! what would then fill my heart with pleasure in bad times?
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust, (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.
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Frage", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 59