Regen Lied & Feldeinsamkeit

Translation

Featured in New Lyre Summer 2022

Regenlied (“The Rain Song”) 
By Klaus Groth (1819 – 1899) 

Fall rain, fall upon this old world, 
And wake deep inside me the dreams 
That I dreamt when I was a child, 
When rain would wet the golden sand. 

When the sultry summer breezes 
Frolicked through the evening coolness 
And the morning’s dewy leaves thawed, 
When the crops shone a darker blue. 

What a joy to stand in the rain 
With our bare and naked feet, 
To reach down into the wet grass 
And touch the fresh foam with one’s hand. 

Or to feel the cool descending 
Showers as they greet our warm cheeks; 
To bear our youth’s bosom once more 
As sweet perfume fills the soft air. 

Like the rose’s calyx trickling  
With rain, my soul respires; 
Like the flowers drunk with fragrance, 
Drowning in the heavenly dew. 

I would love to hear it once more— 
The sound of the soft rain pattering 
As my soul is graciously bedewed 
With a holy child-like awe. 

Translation © David B. Gosselin