Songs

Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund

by Hugo Wolf From Italienisches Liederbuch

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Text & Translation

View IPA

Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund
German source: Paul Heyse

Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund;
Wie trefflich schuf er sie nach allen Seiten!
Er schuf das Meer mit endlos tiefem Grund,
Er schuf die Schiffe, die hinübergleiten,
Er schuf das Paradies mit ewgem Licht,
Er schuf die Schönheit und dein Angesicht.

Blessed be he, who created the world
English translation © Richard Stokes

Blessed be he, who created the world;
How excellent on every side he made it!
He made the sea of unfathomable depths,
He made the ships that glide across,
He made Paradise with its eternal light,
He made beauty and your face.

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund
German source: Paul Heyse

Blessed be he, who created the world
English source: Richard Stokes

Gesegnet sei, durch den die Welt entstund;
Blessed be he, who created the world;
Wie trefflich schuf er sie nach allen Seiten!
How excellent on every side he made it!
Er schuf das Meer mit endlos tiefem Grund,
He made the sea of unfathomable depths,
Er schuf die Schiffe, die hinübergleiten,
He made the ships that glide across,
Er schuf das Paradies mit ewgem Licht,
He made Paradise with its eternal light,
Er schuf die Schönheit und dein Angesicht.
He made beauty and your face.

Composer

Hugo Wolf

Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf was born on 13 March 1860, the fourth of six surviving children, in Windischgraz, Styria, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was taught the piano and violin by his father at an early age and continued to study piano at the…

Poet

Paul Heyse

Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a distinguished German writer and translator. A member of two important literary societies, the Tunnel über der Spree in Berlin and Die Krokodile in Munich, he wrote novels, poetry, 177 short stories, and about sixty…

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