Die stille Lotosblume
German source:
Emanuel Geibel
Steigt aus dem blauen See,
Die Blätter flimmern und blitzen,
Der Kelch ist weiß wie Schnee.
Da gießt der Mond vom Himmel
All seinen gold’nen Schein,
Gießt alle seine Strahlen
In ihren Schoß hinein.
Im Wasser um die Blume
Kreiset ein weißer Schwan,
Er singt so süß, so leise
Und schaut die Blume an.
Er singt so süß, so leise
Und will im Singen vergehn.
O Blume, weiße Blume,
Kannst du das Lied verstehn?
The silent lotus flower
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Rises out of the blue lake,
Its leaves glitter and glow,
Its cup is as white as snow.
The moon then pours from heaven
All its golden light,
Pours all its rays
Into the lotus flower’s bosom.
In the water, round the flower,
A white swan circles,
It sings so sweetly, so quietly,
And gazes on the flower.
It sings so sweetly, so quietly,
And wishes to die as it sings.
O flower, white flower,
Can you fathom the song?
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Die stille Lotosblume
German source:
Emanuel Geibel
The silent lotus flower
English source:
Richard Stokes
Die stille Lotosblume
The silent lotus flower
Steigt aus dem blauen See,
Rises out of the blue lake,
Die Blätter flimmern und blitzen,
Its leaves glitter and glow,
Der Kelch ist weiß wie Schnee.
Its cup is as white as snow.
Da gießt der Mond vom Himmel
The moon then pours from heaven
All seinen gold’nen Schein,
All its golden light,
Gießt alle seine Strahlen
Pours all its rays
In ihren Schoß hinein.
Into the lotus flower’s bosom.
Im Wasser um die Blume
In the water, round the flower,
Kreiset ein weißer Schwan,
A white swan circles,
Er singt so süß, so leise
It sings so sweetly, so quietly,
Und schaut die Blume an.
And gazes on the flower.
Er singt so süß, so leise
It sings so sweetly, so quietly,
Und will im Singen vergehn.
And wishes to die as it sings.
O Blume, weiße Blume,
O flower, white flower,
Kannst du das Lied verstehn?
Can you fathom the song?
Composer
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann (1819-96) née Wieck is one of the most significant women in musical history. Apart from being a tremendously successful pianist and pedagogue, she wrote numerous songs alongside other works in various genres. She also transformed the…
Poet
Emanuel Geibel
Emanuel von Geibel , German poet and playwright. He was born at Lübeck, the son of a pastor. He was originally intended for his father's profession and studied at Bonn and Berlin, but his real interests lay not in theology but in classical and…
Performances
Upcoming Performances
- Album für die Frau 12 Oct 2024
Previously performed at:
- 102. Mastercourse Recital 23 Oct 2021
- 79. Everything Grows Extravagantly 20 Oct 2021
- 44. Thomas Oliemans & Malcolm Martineau: Dichterliebe 15 Oct 2021
- 10. Clara Schumann - Rethinking the Myth: Natasha Loges, Joe Davies, Laura Hamer, Jessy McCabe, Tara Erraught & James Baillieu 13 Oct 2019
- Come, Comfort of the World: Kate Royal & Joseph Middleton 26 Oct 2018