Text & Translation
Lied - Ins stille Land
German source:
Salis-Seewis, Freiherr von (Gaudenz, Johann)
Wer leitet uns hinüber?
Schon wölkt sich uns der Abendhimmel trüber,
Und immer trümmervoller wird der Strand.
Wer leitet uns mit sanfter Hand
Hinüber! ach! hinüber,
Ins stille Land?
Ins stille Land!
Zu euch, ihr freien Räume
Für die Veredlung! zarte Morgenträume
Der schönen Seelen! künft’gen Daseins Pfand.
Wer treu des Lebens Kampf bestand,
Trägt seiner Hoffnung Keime
Ins stille Land.
Ach Land! ach Land!
Für alle Sturmbedrohten.
Der mildeste von unsers Schicksals Boten
Winkt uns, die Fackel umgewandt,
Und leitet uns mit sanfter Hand
Ins Land der grossen Toten,
Ins stille Land.
To the land of rest!
English translation ©
Richard Wigmore
Who will lead us there?
Already the evening sky grows darker with cloud,
and the shore is ever more strewn with flotsam.
Who will lead us gently by the hand
across, ah, across
to the land of rest?
To the land of rest!
To the free, ennobling spaces!
Tender morning dreams
of fine souls! Pledge of a future life!
He who faithfully won life’s battle
carries the seeds of his hopes
to the land of rest.
O land
for all those threatened by storms.
The gentlest harbinger of our fate
beckons us, brandishing a torch,
and leads us gently by the hand
to the land of the great dead,
the land of rest.
Lied - Ins stille Land
German source:
Salis-Seewis, Freiherr von (Gaudenz, Johann)
To the land of rest!
English source:
Richard Wigmore
Ins stille Land!
To the land of rest!
Wer leitet uns hinüber?
Who will lead us there?
Schon wölkt sich uns der Abendhimmel trüber,
Already the evening sky grows darker with cloud,
Und immer trümmervoller wird der Strand.
and the shore is ever more strewn with flotsam.
Wer leitet uns mit sanfter Hand
Who will lead us gently by the hand
Hinüber! ach! hinüber,
across, ah, across
Ins stille Land?
to the land of rest?
Ins stille Land!
To the land of rest!
Zu euch, ihr freien Räume
To the free, ennobling spaces!
Für die Veredlung! zarte Morgenträume
Tender morning dreams
Der schönen Seelen! künft’gen Daseins Pfand.
of fine souls! Pledge of a future life!
Wer treu des Lebens Kampf bestand,
He who faithfully won life’s battle
Trägt seiner Hoffnung Keime
carries the seeds of his hopes
Ins stille Land.
to the land of rest.
Ach Land! ach Land!
O land
Für alle Sturmbedrohten.
for all those threatened by storms.
Der mildeste von unsers Schicksals Boten
The gentlest harbinger of our fate
Winkt uns, die Fackel umgewandt,
beckons us, brandishing a torch,
Und leitet uns mit sanfter Hand
and leads us gently by the hand
Ins Land der grossen Toten,
to the land of the great dead,
Ins stille Land.
the land of rest.
Composer
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an late Classical and early Romantic composer. He produced a vast oeuvre during his short life, composing more the 600 vocal works (largely Lieder), and well as several symphonies, operas, and a large body of piano music. He…
Poet
Salis-Seewis, Freiherr von (Gaudenz, Johann)
Johann Gaudenz Gubert Graf (& Freiherr) von Salis-Seewis was Swiss poet. Salis-Seewis came from an old Swiss aristocracy. His father, baron Johann Ulrich von Salis-Seewis (1740–1815), was created a (primogenitive) Comte (count) at Versailles on…