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Songs

Songs

Wie bist du, meine Königin (1865) Op. 32 no.9

Part of a series or song cycle:

9 Lieder und Gesänge (Op.32)

Wie bist du, meine Königin

Georg Friedrich Daumer

Wie bist du, meine Königin,
Durch sanfte Güte wonnevoll!
Du lächle nur – Lenzdüfte wehn
Durch mein Gemüte wonnevoll!
Frisch aufgeblühter Rosen Glanz
Vergleich ich ihn dem deinigen?
Ach, über alles was da blüht,
Ist deine Blüte, wonnevoll!
Durch tote Wüsten wandle hin,
Und grüne Schatten breiten sich,
Ob fürchterliche Schwüle dort
Ohn Ende brüte, wonnevoll.
Laß mich vergehn in deinem Arm!
Es ist in ihm ja selbst der Tod,
Ob auch die herbste Todesqual
Die Brust durchwüte, wonnevoll.

How blissful, my queen, you are

English Translation © Richard Stokes

How blissful, my queen, you are,
By reason of your gentle kindness!
You merely smile, and springtime fragrance
Wafts through my soul blissfully!
Shall I compare the radiance
Of freshly blown roses to yours?
Ah! more blissful than all that blooms
Is your blissful bloom!
Roam through desert wastes,
And green shade will spring up –
Though fearful sultriness broods
Endlessly there – blissfully.
Let me perish in your arms!
Death in your embrace will be –
Though bitterest mortal agony rage
Through my breast – blissful.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

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Composer

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna. 

Brahms has been considered, by his contemporaries and by later writers, as both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters. While many contemporaries found his music too academic, his contribution and craftsmanship have been admired by many. 

Information from Wikipedia. Click here for the full article.


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Poet

Georg Friedrich Daumer

Georg Friedrich Daumer was a German poet and philosopher.


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About Oxford Lieder

About Oxford Lieder

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