Lieder (songs), Vol. IV [antikvár]

English Translations BY HENRY S. DRINKER (Except for Nos. 2 and 17) 1. Melancholy (Op. 22, No. 2) (Collin) Fair fields and flow'rs that make me glad, Yet make my brooding spirit sad Within my restless breast; So glad, so sad, as here I see The joy of spring surrounding me, In all its beauty dressed, The little breeze that comes at dawn, The morning dew upon the lawn, And Man himself, who so agrees With all the beauty that he sees, Must vanish, must be gone, must be gone. 2. Song (Stolberg) The life of day bears heavy down. Death breathes light and cool. He sends a friendly greeting down, Of wilted leaves, to the tomb. The moonlight shines, the dew as like Falls on the grave as on the flowery meadow; Mingled with it are tears of friends Reflecting rays of gentle hope. Into her lap does Mother Earth Collect us all, both small and great; If we could only see her face, We should be glad of our fate. 3. To Sing on the Water (Op. 72) (Stolberg) Over the mirror of glimmering water, Glides as a swan our serene little boat; So thru the waters of joy does the spirit Glide on the glimmering waves like a boat; Down from the heaven the red of the evening Dances with radiant glow on the boat. Over the tops of the trees to the westward. Beckons the evening with soft ruddy light; Under the branches of groves to the eastward. Whispers the calmus in soft ruddy light. Joy of the Heavens and peace of the ev'ning. Breathed by the soul in the soft ruddy light. Throbbing and glowing in soft ruddy light. So on their dew-covered pinions escaping. Days fly away with no count of the time. Swift as did yesterday, so will tomorrow, Flutter on by with no count of the time; Thus until borne by more glorious pinions, I too am merged in unchangeable time, Merged in eterhal, unchangeable time. 205