Songs

Sein Leichenhemd weiss

by Johannes Brahms From Ophelia-Lieder WoO 22

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Text & Translation

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Sein Leichenhemd weiss
German source: August Wilhelm von Schlegel

Sein Leichenhemd weiss wie Schnee zu sehn,
Geziert mit Blumensegen,
Das unbetränt zum Grab musst’ gehn
Von Liebesregen.

His shroud is as white
English translation © Richard Stokes

His shroud is as white as snow
Adorned with blessed flowers.
Which had to go tear-stained to the grave,
Wet with love’s showers.

Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Sein Leichenhemd weiss
German source: August Wilhelm von Schlegel

His shroud is as white
English source: Richard Stokes

Sein Leichenhemd weiss wie Schnee zu sehn,
His shroud is as white as snow
Geziert mit Blumensegen,
Adorned with blessed flowers.
Das unbetränt zum Grab musst’ gehn
Which had to go tear-stained to the grave,
Von Liebesregen.
Wet with love’s showers.

Composer

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna.  Brahms has been considered, by his…

Poet

August Wilhelm von Schlegel

August Wilhelm (after 1812: von) Schlegel, usually cited as August Schlegel, was a German poet, translator, critic, and a foremost leader of Jena Romanticism along with his brother Friedrich Schlegel. His translations of Shakespeare made the English…

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