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by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835)
Translation by Adalbert Löhr (c1828 - c1900)

The Better Land
Language: English 
"I hear thee speak of the better land,
Thou callest its children a happy band; 
Mother!  o, where is that radiant shore? 
Shall we not seek it, and weep no more? 
Is it where the flower of the orange blows,
And the fire-flies glance through the myrtle boughs?"  
--  "Not there, not there, my child!"

"Is it where the feathery palm-trees rise,
And the date grows ripe under sunny skies?
Or 'midst the green islands of glittering seas,
Where fragrant forests perfume the breeze
And strange, bright birds, on their starry wings,
Bear the rich hues of all glorious things?" 
--  "Not there, not there, my child!"

"Is it far away, in some region old,
Where the rivers wander o'er sands of gold?
Where the burning rays of the ruby shine,
And the diamond lights up the secret mine,
And the pearl gleams forth from the coral strand?
Is it there, sweet mother, that better land?" 
--  "Not there, not there, my child! 

"Eye hath not seen it, my gentle boy! 
Ear hath not heard its deep songs of joy;
Dreams cannot picture a world so fair  -- 
Sorrow and death may not enter there;
Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom,
For beyond the clouds, and beyond the tomb, 
--  It is there, it is there, my child!"

Confirmed with Felicia Dorothea (Browne) Hemans, Songs of the Affections, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1830, pages 225 - 226.


Text Authorship:

  • by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "The Better Land", appears in Songs of the Affections, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, first published 1830 [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 Frederic Hymen Cowen, Sir (1852 - 1935), "The Better Land", published 1878 [ voice and piano ], London : Boosey & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eliza Davis (flourished 1840-1900), "The Better Land", published 1840? [ voice and piano ], London: Willis & Co. [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Adalbert Löhr (c1828 - c1900) , "Das bessere Land", appears in Gedichte, in Gedichte aus dem Englischen, Augsburg & St. Louis: Gedruckt auf Kosten des Verfassers, first published 1855 ; composed by Louis Ehlert, Ferdinand Gumbert.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website: 2018-12-23
Line count: 28
Word count: 215

Das bessere Land
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Ich höre dich reden vom besseren Land,
Und glückliche Wesen nennst du die Seinen; 
O Mutter!  wo glänzt sein Uferrand?
Sollen wir es suchen und nimmer weinen?
Ist's, wo die Orangen blumig blüh'n,
Und die Feuerfliegen durch Myrtenlaub ziehn?
--  Nicht dort, nicht dort, mein Kind! 

Ist's, wo die gefiederten Palmen stehn
Und die Dattel reift unter sonnigen Höh'n?
Ist's mitten auf Inseln mit funkelnden Seen,
Wo die Wälder Düfte die Lüfte um weh'n,
Wo der schimmernden Vögel bestirnte Schwinge
Geschmückt mit den Farben der herrlichsten Dinge?
--  Nicht dort, nicht dort, mein Kind! 

Ist's ferne in einem alten Gefild',
Wohin über Goldsand die Flüße schwellen, 
Wo die brennende Gluth des Rubinen spielt
Und mein Geheimniß Demanten erhellen,
Wo die Perle strahlt vom Corallenstrand?  
Ist's dort, süße Mutter, das bess're Land?
--  Nicht dort, nicht dort, mein Kind.

Mein theures Kind!  Kein Aug' hat's geseh'n,
Kein Ohr hat gehört seine Freuden schallen, 
Kein Traum malt eine Welt so schön,
Und Sorge und Tod darf dorthin nicht wallen;
Die Zeit hauchte nie seine Blüthen ab,
Jenseits der Wolken und über dem Grab 
--  Dort ist's, dort ist's, mein Kind!

Confirmed with Gedichte von Adalbert Löhr, Augsburg & St. Louis: Gedruckt auf Kosten des Verfassers, 1855. Appears in Gedichte aus dem Englischen, pages 159 - 160.


Text Authorship:

  • by Adalbert Löhr (c1828 - c1900), "Das bessere Land", appears in Gedichte, in Gedichte aus dem Englischen, Augsburg & St. Louis: Gedruckt auf Kosten des Verfassers, first published 1855 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in English by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "The Better Land", appears in Songs of the Affections, Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, first published 1830
    • 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 Louis Ehlert (1825 - 1884), "Das bessere Land", op. 14 (Sechs Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 6, published c1846 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: C. F. Peters [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896), "Das bessere Land", op. 84 (Fünf Lieder für Sopran (oder Tenor) mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1858 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin, Bahn [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website: 2018-12-23
Line count: 28
Word count: 184

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