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Songs

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Sterbelied (1920) Op. 14

Part of a series or song cycle:

Lieder des Abschieds (Op. 14)

Sterbelied

Christina Rossetti , translated by Alfred Kerr

Laß Liebster, wenn ich tot bin,
laß du von Klagen ab.
Statt Rosen und Cypressen
wächst Gras auf meinem Grab.
Ich schlafe still im Zwielichtschein
in schwerer Dämmernis -
Und wenn du willst, gedenke mein
und wenn du willst, vergiß.
Ich fühle nicht den Regen,
ich seh' nicht, ob es tagt,
ich höre nicht die Nachtigall,
die in den Büschen klagt.
Vom Schlaf erweckt mich keiner,
die Erdenwelt verblich.
Vielleicht gedenk ich deiner,
vielleicht vergaß ich dich.

Requiem

English Translation © Richard Stokes

When I am dead, my dearest,
Do not lament.
Insted of roses and cypress,
Grass shall cover my grave.
I shall sleep quietly in the twilight,
In the heavy dusk.
And if you will, remember,
And if you will, forget.
I shall not feel the rain,
I shall not see the dawn,
I shall not hear the nightingale
Lamenting in the trees.
No one shall ever wake me,
All the world has vanished.
Perhaps I shall remember you,
Perhaps I'll have forgotten you.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Composer

Erich Korngold

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was an Austrian-born composer and conductor, and a notable figure in the history of Hollywood as a composer for films.

Read more here.


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Source Text by:

Christina Rossetti

Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems. She is famous for writing "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well known in the British Isles: "In the Bleak Midwinter", later set to music by Gustav Holst and by Harold Darke, and "Love Came Down at Christmas", also set by Harold Darke and other composers.

Taken from Wikipedia. Read the full article here.

Read some more about her life and her poetry here, on Poetry Foundation.


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About Oxford Lieder

About Oxford Lieder

Oxford Lieder is one of the world's leading promoters of song and the winner of a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award. The focal point of each year is the two-week Oxford Lieder Festival in October.

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