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 James Gilchrist and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Schlafendes Jesuskind
German source:
Eduard Mörike
Auf dem Holz der Schmerzen eingeschlafen,
Das der fromme Meister, sinnvoll spielend,
Deinen leichten Träumen unterlegte;
Blume du, noch in der Knospe dämmernd
Eingehüllt die Herrlichkeit des Vaters!
O wer sehen könnte, welche Bilder
Hinter dieser Stirne, diesen schwarzen
Wimpern sich in sanftem Wechsel malen!
The Sleeping Christ-Child
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Asleep on the ground, on the wood of suffering,
Which the pious painter, in meaningful play,
Has laid beneath Thy gentle dreams;
O flower, still the Glory of God the Father!
Though still hidden in the dark bud!
Ah, if one could see what pictures,
Behind this brow and these dark
Lashes, are reflected in gentle succession!
Schlafendes Jesuskind
German source:
Eduard Mörike
The Sleeping Christ-Child
English source:
Richard Stokes
Sohn der Jungfrau, Himmelskind! am Boden,
Son of the Virgin, Heavenly Child!
Auf dem Holz der Schmerzen eingeschlafen,
Asleep on the ground, on the wood of suffering,
Das der fromme Meister, sinnvoll spielend,
Which the pious painter, in meaningful play,
Deinen leichten Träumen unterlegte;
Has laid beneath Thy gentle dreams;
Blume du, noch in der Knospe dämmernd
O flower, still the Glory of God the Father!
Eingehüllt die Herrlichkeit des Vaters!
Though still hidden in the dark bud!
O wer sehen könnte, welche Bilder
Ah, if one could see what pictures,
Hinter dieser Stirne, diesen schwarzen
Behind this brow and these dark
Wimpern sich in sanftem Wechsel malen!
Lashes, are reflected in gentle succession!
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
Eduard Mörike
Eduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Romantic poet. Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike (d. 1817), a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer. He attended the Latin school at Ludwigsburg, and the…
Performances
Previously performed at:
- 27. The Sound of Silence: Benjamin Appl & Sholto Kynoch 14 Oct 2020
- Benjamin Appl & Sholto Kynoch 04 Mar 2017