Morning song
(Poet's title: Morgenlied)
Set by Schubert:
D 381
[February 24, 1816]
Die frohe neu belebte Flur
Singt ihrem Schöpfer Dank.
O, Herr und Vater der Natur,
Dir tön’ auch mein Gesang.
Der Lebensfreuden schenkst du viel
Dem, der sich weislich freut.
Dies sei, o Vater, stets das Ziel
Bei meiner Fröhlichkeit.
Ich kann mich noch des Lebens freun
In dieser schönen Welt,
Mein Herz soll dem geheiligt sein
Der weislich sie erhält.
Wenn dann mir Müden winkt der Tod
Zur bessern Welt zu gehn,
So bricht ein schön’res Morgenrot
Mir an beim Auferstehen.
The happy revivified ground
Is singing its creator’s thanks.
O Lord and Father of nature,
Let me too sing you my song!
You send many joys in life
To those who take wise pleasure.
Let this, oh father, always be the goal
Of my contentment.
I can still enjoy life
In this beautiful world;
May my heart treat as sacred
That which it receives wisely.
When, later, death gestures towards me in my tiredness,
Taking me to a better world,
Then an even more beautiful dawn will break
Over me at the resurrection.
All translations into English that appear on this website, unless otherwise stated, are by Malcolm Wren. You are free to use them on condition that you acknowledge Malcolm Wren as the translator and schubertsong.uk as the source. Unless otherwise stated, the comments and essays that appear after the texts and translations are by Malcolm Wren and are © Copyright.
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Themes and images in this text:
Fields and meadows Hearts Joy Morning and morning songs Resurrection Songs (general) Tiredness
There was a long tradition of evening songs (including lullabies) which end with looking forward to the resurrection and a new life in heaven after the night of sleep / death that was imminent. However, it was less common for morning songs to focus so explicitly on the next world. In this case the poet uses the image of the newly vibrant earth at dawn as a prefiguring of an even more beautiful new day. Yes, it is good to celebrate the joys and beauties of this earth (provided that we relish them ‘with wisdom’), but we must never forget that they are only a shadow of the true joy that awaits us in heaven.
On the same day (24th February 1816) that Schubert set this text he also set an ‘Evening song’ by the same poet, D 382.
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Original Spelling Morgenlied Die frohe neu belebte Flur Singt ihrem Schöpfer Dank. O Herr und Vater der Natur, Dir tön' auch mein Gesang! Der Lebensfreuden schenkst du viel Dem, der sich weislich freut. Dieß sey, o Vater, stets das Ziel Bey meiner Fröhlichkeit. Ich kann mich noch des Lebens freun In dieser schönen Welt, Mein Herz soll dem geheiligt seyn Der weislich sie erhält. Wenn dann mir Müden winkt der Tod Zur bessern Welt zu gehn, So bricht ein schön'res Morgenroth Mir an beym Auferstehen.
Confirmed by Peter Rastl with Schubert’s source, Kleine ländliche Gemälde und Lieder von Johann Christoph Heise. Hamburg, Schmidt in Comm., 1803, pages 16-17.