Träumerei
       (Reverie, Dreaming)

Till the instant thee I first beheld
I dreamt in naught but black and white
Or somber shades of blue, aught fraught
With auspicious promises and hope, but now
My dreams are light and bright—
A hint, a tint of violet and rose
From thy robe and from thy lips...

A valiant infantryman, in battle
I bent not to enemy combatants' will,
But now my heart bends lower than
My knees in adoration fond and
True at thy vestment's soft silk hem
In a dulcet attitude of gratitude and love,
Bowing enraptured, enthralled, entranced,
Before a vision of loveliness, oh so heavenly...

And now that thee I have beheld
In thy unparalled perfection and charm, oh
Queen of hearts, in thy purple robe of royalty,
Take from me my heart, in thrall to thee
Forever, always, and a day plus time
To say I'll love you past the end of time—
If an end time has—for my love for thee
Will never die, as endless as the rapture of
Beholding thee will inspire in me forevermore.


Music: Robert Schumann, 1838
Words: Wendell Hall, 2009

Dedicated with undying love to my wife, Merrill and my mother, Florence

A google search discovered no lyrics for this incomparably beautiful melody, so I composed some poor ones of my own. If my articulation of them seems excessively romantic, keep in mind that Träumerei was composed during the Romantic Age of excesses, ignited by the detonation of Goethe's heavy artillery barrage across the bow of the stifling, crippling conventions of the day with his liberating Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers. Enjoy the marvelous music!