Quartet | Dark radiance, blind gazing

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by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Dunkler Lichtglanz, blinder Blick

Language: German (Deutsch) after the Spanish (Español)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE

Dunkler Lichtglanz, blinder Blick,
Todtes Leben, Lust [voll]¹ Plage,
Glück erfüllt von Mißgeschick,
Trübes Lachen, frohe Klage,
Süße Galle, holde Pein,
Fried' und Krieg in einem Herzen,
Das kannst, Liebe, du nur sein,
Mit der Lust erkauft durch Schmerzen.²

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. Schumann

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Volkslieder und Romanzen der Spanier in Versmasse des Originals verdeutscht durch Emanuel Geibel, Berlin, Verlag von Alexander Duncker, Königl. Hofbuchhändler, 1843, page 24.

Note that in Schumann's song, the change in line 2 ("voll" to "und") is changed back in the repetition.

¹ Schumann: "und"
² Schumann adds

Liebe, das kannst du nur sein!
Liebe, das kannst du nur sein,
dunkler Lichtglanz, blinder Blick,
totes Leben, Lust voll Plage,
das kannst, Liebe, du nur sein!

Text Authorship:

by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), no title, appears in Volkslieder und Romanzen der Spanier in Versmasse des Originals verdeutscht, in Lieder, no. 16, first published 1843 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Spanish (Español) by Rodrigo Cota de Maguaque (d. c1498), "Vista ciega, luz oscura"
- Go to the text page.

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), "Quartett", op. posth. 138 no. 10 (1849), published 1857 [ satb quartet and piano duet ], from Spanische Liebeslieder, no. 10, Winterthur, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Quartet", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Kwartet 'Donk're lichtglans'", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Quartet", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Sombre éclat lumineux, regard aveugle", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Auditorium du Louvre

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 41

Quartet

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Dark radiance, blind gazing,
Dead life, joy [full of]¹ vexation,
Luck filled with mishap,
Dismal laughter, joyful lamenting,
Sweet gall, lovely suffering,
Peace and war within a single heart,
That, Love, can only be you,
With joy that has been paid for by pain.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Schumann: "and"; but "filled with" when repeated later.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2013 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), no title, appears in Volkslieder und Romanzen der Spanier in Versmasse des Originals verdeutscht, in Lieder, no. 16, first published 1843
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Spanish (Español) by Rodrigo Cota de Maguaque (d. c1498), "Vista ciega, luz oscura"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-06-15
Line count: 8
Word count: 45