Songs

Keine gleicht von allen Schönen

by Hugo Wolf From Vier Gedichte nach Heine, Shakespeare und Lord Byron (1897)

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This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
Click here to listen to this song with William Dazeley and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.

Text & Translation

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Keine gleicht von allen Schönen
German source: Otto Gildemeister

Keine gleicht von allen Schönen,
Zauberhafte, dir!
Wie Musik auf Wassern tönen
Deine Worte mir;
Wenn das Meer vergisst zu rauschen,
Um entzückt zu lauschen,
Lichte Wellen leise schäumen,
Eingelullte Winde träumen:

Wenn der Mond die Silberkette
Über Fluten spinnt,
Deren Brust im stillen Bette
Atmet, wie ein Kind:
Also liegt mein Herz versunken,
Lauschend, wonnetrunken,
Sanft gewiegt und voll sich labend,
Wie des Meeres Sommerabend.

There be none of Beauty's daughters
English translation © George Gordon, Lord Byron

There be none of Beauty’s daughters
With a magic like thee;
And like music on the waters
Is thy sweet voice to me:
When, as if its sound were causing
The charmèd ocean’s pausing,
The waves lie still and gleaming,
And the lull’d winds seem dreaming:

And the midnight moon is weaving
Her bright chain o’er the deep;
Whose breast is gently heaving
As an infant’s asleep:
So the spirit bows before thee,
To listen and adore thee;
With a full but soft emotion,
Like the swell of Summer’s ocean.

Keine gleicht von allen Schönen
German source: Otto Gildemeister

There be none of Beauty's daughters
English source: George Gordon, Lord Byron

Keine gleicht von allen Schönen,
There be none of Beauty’s daughters
Zauberhafte, dir!
With a magic like thee;
Wie Musik auf Wassern tönen
And like music on the waters
Deine Worte mir;
Is thy sweet voice to me:
Wenn das Meer vergisst zu rauschen,
When, as if its sound were causing
Um entzückt zu lauschen,
The charmèd ocean’s pausing,
Lichte Wellen leise schäumen,
The waves lie still and gleaming,
Eingelullte Winde träumen:
And the lull’d winds seem dreaming:

Wenn der Mond die Silberkette
And the midnight moon is weaving
Über Fluten spinnt,
Her bright chain o’er the deep;
Deren Brust im stillen Bette
Whose breast is gently heaving
Atmet, wie ein Kind:
As an infant’s asleep:
Also liegt mein Herz versunken,
So the spirit bows before thee,
Lauschend, wonnetrunken,
To listen and adore thee;
Sanft gewiegt und voll sich labend,
With a full but soft emotion,
Wie des Meeres Sommerabend.
Like the swell of Summer’s ocean.

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…

Performances

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