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 Mark Stone and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Selig ihr Blinden, die ihr nicht zu schauen
German source:
Paul Heyse
Vermögt die Reize, die uns Glut entfachen;
Selig ihr Tauben, die ihr ohne Grauen
Die Klagen der Verliebten könnt verlachen;
Selig ihr Stummen, die ihr nicht den Frauen
Könnt eure Herzensnot verständlich machen;
Selig ihr Toten, die man hat begraben!
Ihr sollt vor Liebesqualen Ruhe haben.
Blessed are the blind, who cannot see
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
The charms that kindle a blaze in us;
Blessed are the deaf, who without fear
Can laugh at the laments of lovers;
Blessed are the dumb, who cannot tell women
Of their heart’s anguish;
Blessed are the dead lying in their graves!
You shall have respite from love’s torment.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Selig ihr Blinden, die ihr nicht zu schauen
German source:
Paul Heyse
Blessed are the blind, who cannot see
English source:
Richard Stokes
Selig ihr Blinden, die ihr nicht zu schauen
Blessed are the blind, who cannot see
Vermögt die Reize, die uns Glut entfachen;
The charms that kindle a blaze in us;
Selig ihr Tauben, die ihr ohne Grauen
Blessed are the deaf, who without fear
Die Klagen der Verliebten könnt verlachen;
Can laugh at the laments of lovers;
Selig ihr Stummen, die ihr nicht den Frauen
Blessed are the dumb, who cannot tell women
Könnt eure Herzensnot verständlich machen;
Of their heart’s anguish;
Selig ihr Toten, die man hat begraben!
Blessed are the dead lying in their graves!
Ihr sollt vor Liebesqualen Ruhe haben.
You shall have respite from love’s torment.
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
Paul Heyse
Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a distinguished German writer and translator. A member of two important literary societies, the Tunnel über der Spree in Berlin and Die Krokodile in Munich, he wrote novels, poetry, 177 short stories, and about sixty…