by
Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890)
Siehst du den Stern im fernsten Blau
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): ENG FRE
Siehst du den Stern im fernsten Blau,
Der [zitternd]1 fast erbleicht?
Sein Licht braucht eine Ewigkeit,
Bis es dein Aug' erreicht!
Vielleicht vor tausend Jahren schon
Zu Asche stob der Stern,
Und doch [sehn seinen lieblichen Schein
Wir dort noch]2 still und fern.
Dem Wesen solchen Scheines gleicht,
Der ist und doch nicht ist,
O Lieb', dein anmutvolles Sein,
Wenn du gestorben bist!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Sämtliche Werke von Gottfried Keller: Romane + Erzählungen + Gedichte + Essays + Tagebücher + Briefe, Musaica Books, 2017.
1 Hausegger, Schoeck: "flimmernd"; Sinding: "schimmernd"
2 Hausegger, Schoeck, Sinding: "steht dort sein milder Schein/ Noch immer"
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Siegmund von Hausegger (1872 - 1948), "Siehst du den Stern", published <<1905 [ medium voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder, no. 1, Leipzig, C. F. Kahnt [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Klaus Miehling (b. 1963), "Siehst du den Stern", op. 94 no. 2 (2003) [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Gottfried Keller, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Siehst du den Stern", op. 55 no. 3 (1941-3) [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Unter Sternen: Lieder und Gesänge nach Gedichten von Gottfried Keller, no. 3, Wien: Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941), "Siehst du den Stern", op. 11 (Lieder und Gesänge) no. 2, published 1888 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Vois-tu l'étoile", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Caroline Diehl
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 63
Do you see the star in the most distant...
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
Do you see the star in the most distant blue,
that, [trembling]1, nearly fades out?
Its light takes an eternity,
before it reaches your eyes!
Perhaps already a thousand years ago
the star sparkled and turned to ash,
and yet [we see its gentle light
there still]2, calm and distant.
The nature of such light,
which is and is no more,
resembles, o Love, your gracious being,
after you will have died!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Hausegger, Schoeck: "flickering"; Sinding: "shimmering"
2 Hausegger, Schoeck, Sinding: "its gentle light is there / still always"
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by John Glenn Paton, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2018-09-27
Line count: 12
Word count: 72