"O! du mein holder Abendstern"
O you, my lovely evening star
Dusk covers the land like a portent of death,
Darkly clads the valley;
The soul that longs for those heights
Fears its flight through night and horror.
There you shine, O loveliest of stars,
And send out your gentle light from afar;
Your dear light parts the night’s gloom,
And like a friend you show the way out of the valley.
O you, my lovely evening star,
So gladly have I always greeted you:
Greet her, from the depths of my heart,
Which never betrayed her,
Greet her, when she passes by,
When she floats beyond this earthly vale
To become a holy angel there!
Tannhäuser by Richard Wagner
After a year in the magical underground realm of Venus, the goddess of love, the minstrel Tannhäuser returns to the human world, longing for salvation. He joins his former companions, knights of the Wartburg castle, where his previous love, Elisabeth lives with her uncle, the Landgraf.
In the Hall of Song, Elisabeth greets Tannhäuser and reveals how much she has missed him. A song contest is held, on the theme of love. The knight, Wolfram, praises idealised love, but Tannhäuser shockingly sings in celebration of worldly pleasures and Venus. Although deeply wounded by this, Elisabeth begs for mercy when the knights draw their swords on Tannhäuser. The Landgraf declares he must undertake penance as a pilgrim to Rome.
Elisabeth, waiting in vain for Tannhäuser’s return, succumbs to grief, praying that the Virgin Mary receives her soul. Wolfram asks the evening star to guide her way.
Tannhäuser then appears, but the Pope has denied him absolution: forgiveness for his sins is as impossible as the papal staff sprouting leaves. In despair, Tannhäuser summons Venus. Wolfram tries to stop him reverting to his old ways, invoking Elisabeth’s name, which brings him to senses. Venus disappears. Elisabeth’s funeral procession approaches and Tannhäuser begs her to pray for his salvation. He dies as pilgrims bring news of a miracle: leaves have grown from the Pope’s staff.