Translations

“Schweig schweig damit dich niemand warnt” From Der Freischütz Carl Maria von Weber

Hush, hush, that none may warn you! Hush, that none may warn you! Hell has entwined you in its net! Nothing can save you from the precipitous fall From the precipitous fall can nothing save you! Surround him, you spirits, winged with darkness Already he gnashes his teeth to wear your chains! Triumph, triumph, triumph! Revenge is achieved!

“O du, mein holder Abendstern” Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner English translation by Richard Stokes

Dusk covers the land like a premonition of death, Wraps the valley in her dark mantle; The soul that longs for those heights Dreads to take its dark and awful flight. Then you appear, O loveliest of stars, And shed your gentle light from afar; Your sweet glow cleaves the twilight gloom, And as a friend you show the way out of the valley. O you, my fair evening star, Gladly have I always greeted you: Greet her, from the depths of this heart, Which has never betrayed her, Greet her, when she passes, When she soars above this mortal vale To become a holy angel there!

“An Die Ferne Geliebte” Ludwig van Beethoven English translation by Richard Stokes

I sit on the hill, gazing Into the misty blue countryside, Towards the distant meadows Where, my love, I first found you. Now I’m far away from you, Mountain and valley intervene Between us and our peace, Our happiness and our pain. Ah, you cannot see the fiery gaze That wings its way towards you, And my sighs are lost In the space that comes between us. Will nothing ever reach you again? Will nothing be love’s messenger? I shall sing, sing songs That speak to you of my distress! For sounds of singing put to flight All space and all time; And a loving heart is reached By what a loving heart has hallowed!

2. “Where the blue mountains” Where the blue mountains From the misty grey Look out towards me, Where the sun’s glow fades, Where the clouds scud by – There would I be! There, in the peaceful valley, Pain and torment cease. Where among the rocks The primrose meditates in silence, And the wind blows so softly – There would I be! I am driven to the musing wood By the power of love, Inner pain. Ah, nothing could tempt me from here, If I were able, my love, To be with you eternally!

3. “Light clouds sailing on high” Light clouds sailing on high, And you, narrow little brook, If you catch sight of my love, Greet her a thousand times. If, clouds, you see her walking Thoughtful in the silent valley, Let my image loom before her In the airy vaults of heaven. If she be standing by the bushes Autumn has turned fallow and bare, Pour out to her my fate, Pour out, you birds, my torment. Soft west winds, waft my sighs To her my heart has chosen – Sighs that fade away Like the sun’s last ray. Whisper to her my entreaties, Let her, narrow little brook, Truly see in your ripples My never-ending tears!

4. “These clouds on high” These clouds on high, This cheerful flight of birds Will see you, O gracious one. Take me lightly winging too! These west winds will playfully Blow about your cheeks and breast, Will ruffle your silken tresses. – Would I might share that joy! This brooklet hastens eagerly To you from those hills. If she’s reflected in you, Flows directly back to me!

5. “May returns” May returns, The meadow blooms. The breezes blow So gentle, so mild, The babbling brooks flow again, The swallow returns To its rooftop home, And eagerly builds Her bridal chamber, Where love shall dwell. She busily brings From every direction Many soft scraps For the bridal bed, Many warm scraps for her young. Now the pair lives Faithfully together, What winter parted, May has joined, For May can unite all who love. May returns, The meadow blooms. The breezes blow So gentle, so mild; I alone cannot move on. When spring unites All lovers, Our love alone Knows no spring, And tears are its only gain.

6. “Accept, then, these songs” Accept, then, these songs I sang for you, beloved; Sing them again at evening To the lute’s sweet sound! As the red light of evening draws Towards the calm blue lake, And its last rays fade Behind those mountain heights; And you sing what I sang From a full heart With no display of art, Aware only of longing: Then, at these songs, The distance that parted us shall recede, And a loving heart be reached By what a loving heart has hallowed!

“Verborgenheit” Hugo Wolf English translation by Richard Stokes

Let, O world, O let me be! Do not tempt with gifts of love, Let this heart keep to itself Its rapture, its pain! I do not know why I grieve, It is unknown sorrow; Always through a veil of tears I see the sun’s beloved light. Often, I am lost in thought, And bright joy flashes Through the oppressive gloom, Bringing rapture to my breast. Let, O world, O let me be! Do not tempt with gifts of love, Let this heart keep to itself Its rapture, its pain!

“Der Jäger” Hugo Wolf English translation by Richard Stokes

Three days of endless rain, No sunshine even now; Not one kind word for three whole days From my beloved’s lips. She sulks and so do I, That’s how she wanted it; But it gnaws at my heart, This sulkiness and sullenness. Welcome, then, to the hunter’s joy, To thunderstorm and rain! I’ll button tight the ardent breast, And fly to you rejoicing! She'll be sitting at home and laughing now, And joking with her siblings; I can hear the old leaves whispering In the forest night. Now she'll be sitting and weeping aloud For sorrow in her little room; I feel as cosy as any deer, Hidden in the darkness. No stag or roe anywhere! A shot will pass the time! The healthy crack and echo Refresh the marrow in my bones. – But as the thunder dies away In the valleys all around, I’m assailed by sudden pain, My heart sinks like a stone. She sulks with me and I with her, That’s how she wanted it; But it gnaws at my heart, This sulkiness and sullenness. So let’s away to my love’s house! And clasp her round the waist! “Wring out these soaking locks of mine And kiss and take me back again!

“Il traditor deluso” from Schwanengesang Franz Schubert English translation by Richard Wigmore

Recitative: Alas, I tremble! I feel a cold sweat upon my brow! I must flee; but whither? Where is the way? Who will show it to me? O God, what do I hear? What is happening to me? O God, what do I hear? Where am I?

Air: The air around me flashes and sparkles; The perfidious earth quakes and trembles! The deep night surrounds me with horror! What baleful creatures, what furies are these? What raging terror I feel in my breast!

“Der Doppelganger” from Schwanengesang Franz Schubert English translation by Richard Wigmore

The night is still, the streets are at rest; in this house lived my sweetheart. She has long since left the town, but the house still stands on the selfsame spot. A man stands there too, staring up, and wringing his hands in anguish; I shudder when I see his face – the moon shows me my own form! You wraith, pallid companion, why do you ape the pain of my love which tormented me on this very spot, so many a night, in days long past?

“Der Atlas” from Schwanengesang Franz Schubert English translation by Richard Wigmore

I, unhappy Atlas, must bear a world, the whole world of sorrows. I bear the unbearable, and my heart would break within my body. Proud heart, you wished it so! You wished to be happy, endlessly happy, or endlessly wretched, proud heart! And now you are wretched!

“Mache dich, mein Herze rein” from St. Matthew Passion Johann Sebastian Bach

Make thyself clean, my heart, I will myself entomb Jesus. For he shall henceforth in me For ever and ever Take his sweet rest. World, begone, let Jesus in!

"Heimliche Aufforderung" Richard Strauss English Translation by Richard Stokes

Come, raise to your lips the sparkling goblet, And drink at this joyful feast your heart to health. And when you raise it, give me a secret sign, Then I shall smile, and drink as quietly as you ... And quietly like me, look around at the hordes Of drunken gossips—do not despise them too much. No, raise the glittering goblet, filled with wine, And let them be happy at the noisy feast. But once you have savoured the meal, quenched your thirst, Leave the loud company of happy revellers, And come out into the garden to the rose-bush,— There I shall wait for you as I’ve always done. And I shall sink on your breast, before you could hope, And drink your kisses, as often before, And twine in your hair the glorious rose— Ah! come, O wondrous, longed-for night!

“Morgen!” Richard Strauss English translation by Richard Stokes

And tomorrow the sun will shine again And on the path that I shall take, It will unite us, happy ones, again, Amid this same sun-breathing earth ... And to the shore, broad, blue-waved, We shall quietly and slowly descend, Speechless we shall gaze into each other’s eyes, And the speechless silence of bliss shall fall on us ...

“Cäcilie” Richard Strauss English translation by Richard Stokes

If you knew What it is to dream Of burning kisses, Of walking and resting With one’s love, Gazing at each other And caressing and talking – If you knew, Your heart would turn to me. If you knew What it is to worry On lonely nights In the frightening storm, With no soft voice To comfort The struggle-weary soul – If you knew, You would come to me. If you knew What it is to live Enveloped in God’s World-creating breath, To soar upwards, Borne on light To blessed heights – If you knew, You would live with me.

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of: The Book of Lieder (Faber); The Complete Songs of Hugo Wolf (Faber); A French Song Companion (Oxford University Press); The Spanish Song Companion (Scarecrow Press); The Penguin Book of English Song (Penguin Classics); and J.S. Bach: The Complete Cantatas (Scarecrow Press). Provided via Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk).

© Richard Wigmore, author of Schubert: The Complete Song Texts, published by Schirmer Books, provided via Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk).