Mütterlein

Here is my translation:

Dear little Mütterlein* Now I may finally be with you The longing and the loneliness Redeem themselves in blessedness**

The cradle is your homeland-dress A gracefulness*** your glory In ecstasy your heartbreak transforms And reaches inside of the victorious tide

• The word Mütterlein is formed by adding the suffix "lein" to the word "Mütter" (mother). This suffix is used to form diminutives (make things smaller or more familiar) but is rarely used in modern German, with the suffix "chen" much preferred. The most common word which includes the suffix -lein is "Fraulein", meaning an unmarried woman, so the meaning of "Mütterlein" could be the virgin Mary, which would fit in with other religious themes in the album Desertshore, although the word has appeared in other artistic works simply as a diminuative of "Mutter". **Not entirely sure on this one, could also be "are taken over by blessedness" *** This is an idiomatic translation which seems t fit with the other lyrics, as I'm not sure how to interpret this word, its literal translation is "a balancing", "a hovering" or "a floating".

this song was played at nico's funeral

I may be myself dear small mother now finite with you the longing and the loneliness selecting in bliss

The cradle is changes your homeland dress floating your glory in bliss your Herzeleid and grasps into the winning flood in

Really badly done via an online translator, but hopefully the jist of it is kind of clear.

there was a poem by Friedrich Rückert called Wenn dein Mütterlein: When your mother steps in through the door and I turn my head to see at her, falling on her face my gaze does not first fall, but at the place nearer the doorstep, there, where your dear little face would be,

when you with bright joy step inside, as you used to, my little daughter.

When your mother steps in through the door with the glowing candle, it seems to me, always you came in too, hurrying behind her, as you used to come into the room. Oh you, a father's cell, ah too quickly bright joy lost too soon!

and this translates to: Dear small Mütterlein, now I may be finite with you The longing and the isolation Erlösen itself in blessedness

The cradle is your homeland dress Floating your glory In Wonne your heart suffering changes And reaches into the triumphing flood inside

sounds like it's reversed, the poem was about a kid who died and this seems like a mother that died. if this was played at her funeral, it would make sense.

dunno, maybe I'm wrong

This song was written for Nico's living mother, which could either mean for the living memory of her real mother or her aunt, whom she considered a second mother. Nico felt a lot of guilt around the time of her mother's death as she had pretty much abandond her mother before this and this guilt can be felt in the words of the lyrics and her delivery of the song. This was likely her way of showing her aunt how appreciative she was of the help she gave to her mother.