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 David Stout and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Nachruf
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
Wie manche Sommernacht,
Bis dass der Morgen graute,
Hab’ ich mit dir durchwacht!
Die Täler, wieder nachten,
Schon sinkt das Abendrot,
Doch die sonst mit uns wachten,
Die liegen lange tot.
Was wollen wir nun singen
Hier in der Einsamkeit,
Wenn alle von uns gingen,
Die unser Lied erfreut’?
Wir wollen dennoch singen!
So still ist’s auf der Welt;
Wer weiss, die Lieder dringen
Vielleicht zum Sternezelt.
Wer weiss, die da gestorben,
Sie hören droben mich
Und öffnen leis’ die Pforten
Und nehmen uns zu sich.
In memoriam
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
How many a summer night
Till day-break
Have I watched you!
Again the valleys darken,
The twilight’s nearly spent,
But they who once watched with us
Perished long ago.
Why should we want to sing
Here in solitude,
When all have gone
Who delighted in out song?
Nonetheless, we shall sing!
The world is so still;
Who knows, songs may reach
As far as the stars.
Who knows, those who died
May hear me up there,
And quietly open the gates,
And take us to them.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Nachruf
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
In memoriam
English source:
Richard Stokes
Du liebe, treue Laute,
Dear faithful lute,
Wie manche Sommernacht,
How many a summer night
Bis dass der Morgen graute,
Till day-break
Hab’ ich mit dir durchwacht!
Have I watched you!
Die Täler, wieder nachten,
Again the valleys darken,
Schon sinkt das Abendrot,
The twilight’s nearly spent,
Doch die sonst mit uns wachten,
But they who once watched with us
Die liegen lange tot.
Perished long ago.
Was wollen wir nun singen
Why should we want to sing
Hier in der Einsamkeit,
Here in solitude,
Wenn alle von uns gingen,
When all have gone
Die unser Lied erfreut’?
Who delighted in out song?
Wir wollen dennoch singen!
Nonetheless, we shall sing!
So still ist’s auf der Welt;
The world is so still;
Wer weiss, die Lieder dringen
Who knows, songs may reach
Vielleicht zum Sternezelt.
As far as the stars.
Wer weiss, die da gestorben,
Who knows, those who died
Sie hören droben mich
May hear me up there,
Und öffnen leis’ die Pforten
And quietly open the gates,
Und nehmen uns zu sich.
And take us to them.
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
Joseph von Eichendorff
Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism. Ever since their publication and up to the present day, some…