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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
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 [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]
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 text: Sharon Krebs [Guest 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?
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 -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
- 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