by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation possibly by Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG, PC, The Lord Houghton (1858 - 1945)
Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich
Language: German (Deutsch)
Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich Des Abgrunds Nacht, war mir dein Brief; Er zeigte blendend hell, wie tief Mein Unglück ist, wie tief entsetzlich. Selbst dich ergreift ein Mitgefühl! Dich, die in meines Lebens Wildnis So schweigsam standest, wie ein Bildnis, Das marmorschön und marmorkühl. O Gott, wie muß ich elend sein! Denn sie sogar beginnt zu sprechen, Aus ihrem Auge Tränen brechen, Der Stein sogar erbarmt sich mein! Erschüttert hat mich, was ich sah! Auch du erbarm dich mein und spende Die Ruhe mir, o Gott, und ende Die schreckliche Tragödia.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Gedichte 1853 und 1854, in 8. Zum Lazarus, no. 8 [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 Berthander , "Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich" [text not verified]
- by Kuno Stierlin (1886 - 1967), "Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich" [text not verified]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG, PC, The Lord Houghton) , title 1: "Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich", from Poems Selected from Heinrich Heine, ed. by Kate Freiligrath Kroeker, London: Walter Scott, Limited, page 249, published 1887
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-05-06
Line count: 16
Word count: 91
Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
My fathomless despair to show
By certain signs, your letter came:
A lightning-flash, whose sudden flame
Lit up the abyss that yawned below.
What! You by sympathy controlled!
You, who in all my life's confusion
Stood by me, in your self-seclusion
As fair as marble, and as cold.
O God ! how wretched must I be!
When even she begins to speak;
When tears run down that icy cheek,
The very stones can pity me.
There's something shocks me in her woe;
But, if that rigid heart is rent,
May not the Omnipotent relent,
And let this poor existence go?
Note: the poet is given only as "Lord Houghton" in Kroeker's anthology.
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
Text Authorship:
- possibly by Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe KG, PC, The Lord Houghton (1858 - 1945), "Ein Wetterstrahl, beleuchtend plötzlich", appears in Poems Selected from Heinrich Heine, ed. by Kate Freiligrath Kroeker, London: Walter Scott, Limited, page 249, first published 1887 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Gedichte 1853 und 1854, in 8. Zum Lazarus, no. 8
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2013-01-18
Line count: 16
Word count: 99