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 Stephan Loges and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Verborgenheit
German source:
Eduard Mörike
Locket nicht mit Liebesgaben,
Lasst dies Herz alleine haben
Seine Wonne, seine Pein!
Was ich traure, weiss ich nicht,
Es ist unbekanntes Wehe;
Immerdar durch Tränen sehe
Ich der Sonne liebes Licht.
Oft bin ich mir kaum bewusst,
Und die helle Freude zücket
Durch die Schwere, so mich drücket
Wonniglich in meiner Brust.
Lass, o Welt, o lass mich sein!
Locket nicht mit Liebesgaben,
Lasst dies Herz alleine haben
Seine Wonne, seine Pein!
Seclusion
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Do not tempt with gifts of love,
Let this heart keep to itself
Its rapture, its pain!
I do not know why I grieve,
It is unknown sorrow;
Always through a veil of tears
I see the sun’s beloved light.
Often, I am lost in thought,
And bright joy flashes
Through the oppressive gloom,
Bringing rapture to my breast.
Let, O world, O let me be!
Do not tempt with gifts of love,
Let this heart keep to itself
Its rapture, its pain!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Verborgenheit
German source:
Eduard Mörike
Seclusion
English source:
Richard Stokes
Lass, o Welt, o lass mich sein!
Let, O world, O let me be!
Locket nicht mit Liebesgaben,
Do not tempt with gifts of love,
Lasst dies Herz alleine haben
Let this heart keep to itself
Seine Wonne, seine Pein!
Its rapture, its pain!
Was ich traure, weiss ich nicht,
I do not know why I grieve,
Es ist unbekanntes Wehe;
It is unknown sorrow;
Immerdar durch Tränen sehe
Always through a veil of tears
Ich der Sonne liebes Licht.
I see the sun’s beloved light.
Oft bin ich mir kaum bewusst,
Often, I am lost in thought,
Und die helle Freude zücket
And bright joy flashes
Durch die Schwere, so mich drücket
Through the oppressive gloom,
Wonniglich in meiner Brust.
Bringing rapture to my breast.
Lass, o Welt, o lass mich sein!
Let, O world, O let me be!
Locket nicht mit Liebesgaben,
Do not tempt with gifts of love,
Lasst dies Herz alleine haben
Let this heart keep to itself
Seine Wonne, seine Pein!
Its rapture, its pain!
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…