Winterweihe
German source:
Karl Friedrich Henckell
Nun sich das Licht verhüllt,
Laß uns im Herzen tragen,
Einander traulich sagen,
Was uns mit innerm Licht erfüllt.
Was milde Glut entzündet,
Soll brennen fort und fort,
Was Seelen zart verbündet
Und Geisterbrücken gründet,
Sei unser leises Losungswort.
Das Rad der Zeit mag rollen,
Wir greifen kaum hinein,
Dem Schein der Welt verschollen,
Auf unserm Eiland wollen
Wir Tag und Nacht der sel’gen Liebe weih’n.
Winter dedication
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
When the light is veiled,
Let us bear in our hearts
And confess to one another
What fills us with inner light.
That which ignites a gentle flame
Must burn on and on,
That which tenderly unites souls
And creates spiritual bridges,
Shall be our whispered password.
The wheel of time may roll on,
We can hardly catch hold of it,
Lost to the world’s deceptive light,
We shall on our island
Dedicate ourselves day and night to blessed love.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Winterweihe
German source:
Karl Friedrich Henckell
Winter dedication
English source:
Richard Stokes
In diesen Wintertagen,
In these wintry days
Nun sich das Licht verhüllt,
When the light is veiled,
Laß uns im Herzen tragen,
Let us bear in our hearts
Einander traulich sagen,
And confess to one another
Was uns mit innerm Licht erfüllt.
What fills us with inner light.
Was milde Glut entzündet,
That which ignites a gentle flame
Soll brennen fort und fort,
Must burn on and on,
Was Seelen zart verbündet
That which tenderly unites souls
Und Geisterbrücken gründet,
And creates spiritual bridges,
Sei unser leises Losungswort.
Shall be our whispered password.
Das Rad der Zeit mag rollen,
The wheel of time may roll on,
Wir greifen kaum hinein,
We can hardly catch hold of it,
Dem Schein der Welt verschollen,
Lost to the world’s deceptive light,
Auf unserm Eiland wollen
We shall on our island
Wir Tag und Nacht der sel’gen Liebe weih’n.
Dedicate ourselves day and night to blessed love.
Composer
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is particularly well-known for his operas, Lieder, and tone poems. Read more here.
