By David Gosselin
These are two of the finest examples of German Lieder I’ve encountered. Perhaps no art form has succeeded in uniting poetry and music more effectively than the 19th century tradition of German classical art songs. A careful study of this form of creative expression and dialogue between the greatest poets and musical composers offers a window into one of the most recent Golden Ages of music and poetry. Below are two original translations to follow along with and discover the Rosetta Stone of verse and song—classical German Lieder. From “The Gods of Greece” by Friedrich SchillerOh beautiful world, where art thou flown? Translation © David B. Gosselin Original Schöne Welt, wo bist du? Kehre wieder, —————————- “Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht” by Heinrich HeineDeath is the cooling night, Translation © David B. Gosselin Original Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht, Über mein Bett erhebt sich ein Baum, —————————- David Gosselin is a poet, researcher, and translator in Montreal, Canada. He is the founding editor of The Chained Muse. His personal Substack is Age of Muses, where he publishes historical deep-dives, original poetry and a variety of writings for a new renaissance. His new book A Renaissance or New Middle Ages: Magic, Mystery, and the Trance Formation of the West can be purchased hereYou're currently a free subscriber to Rising Tide Foundation. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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