Oben auf des Berges Spitze

Oben auf des Berges Spitze
Liegt das Schloß in Nacht gehüllt;
Doch im Tale leuchten Blitze,
Helle Schwerter klirren wild.

Das sind Brüder, die dort fechten
Grimmen Zweikampf, wutentbrannt.
Sprich, warum die Brüder rechten
Mit dem Schwerte in der Hand?

Gräfin Lauras Augenfunken
Zündeten den Brüderstreit.
Beide glühen liebestrunken
Für die adlig holde Maid.

Welchem aber von den beiden
Wendet sich ihr Herze zu?
Kein Ergrübeln kann's entscheiden -
Schwert heraus, entscheide du!

Und sie fechten kühn verwegen,
Hieb auf Hiebe niederkracht's.
Hütet euch, ihr wilden Degen.
[Böses Blendwerk schleicht des]1 Nachts.

Wehe! Wehe! blut'ge Brüder!
Wehe! Wehe! blut'ges Tal!
Beide Kämpfer stürzen nieder,
Einer in des andern Stahl. -

Viel Jahrhunderte verwehen,
Viel Geschlechter deckt das Grab;
Traurig von des Berges Höhen
Schaut das öde Schloß herab.

Aber nachts, im Talesgrunde,
Wandelt's heimlich, wunderbar;
Wenn da kommt die zwölfte Stunde,
Kämpfet dort das Brüderpaar.

Translation(s): DUT ENG FRE ITA SPA

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About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Zwei Brüder", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 3 [ author's text checked 1 time]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Joseph Matthias Hubert Beltjens (1820 - 1909), "Die zwei Brüder : Ballade von H. Heine", op. 2. [baritone and piano] [ sung text not verified ]
• by Johanna Kinkel, née Mockel (1810 - 1858), "Die beiden Brüder", note: may be incorrect text for this title [ sung text not verified ]
• by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Die feindlichen Brüder", op. 49 (Romanzen und Balladen für Singstimme und Klavier (Heft 2)) no. 2 (1840), published 1844 [voice and piano], Leipzig, Whistling [ sung text verified 1 time]
• by Wilhelm Wöhler , "Zwei Brüder: Romanze", op. 2. [ sung text not verified ]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De vijandige broers", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The hostile brothers", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Deux frères", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "I fratelli nemici", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Saúl Botero Restrepo) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project, and I have been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your gift is greatly appreciated.      - Emily Ezust

I fratelli nemici

Lassù in cima alla montagna
sta il castello nascosto nella notte;
ma a valle balenano lampi,
risuona clangore selvaggio di spade.

Sono fratelli che là combattono
in furioso duello, ardenti d'odio.
Ma parla, perché mai i fratelli
brandiscono la spada?

I begli occhi di Madonna Laura
accesero la lotta fratricida;
entrambi ardevano ebbri d'amore
per la soave nobile fanciulla.

Ma a quale dei due
si sarebbe rivolto il suo cuore?
Nessun accordo può decidere, -
fuori la spada, decidi tu!

E combattono fieri e coraggiosi,
rimbomba colpo su colpo.
In guardia, spade tremende,
maligna illusione porta la notte

Ahimè! Ahimè! Fratelli sanguinari!
Ahimè! Ahimè! Valle sanguinosa!
Tutti e due i combattenti cadono,
ciascuno sulla spada dell'altro. -

Molti secoli sono passati,
molte generazioni copre la tomba;
triste dall'alto della montagna
guarda giù lo squallido castello.

Ma di notte, nel fondo della valle,
appare quacosa di misterioso, di fantastico:
quando viene la dodicesima ora,
là combattono ancora i due fratelli.

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Authorship

• Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2006 by Amelia Maria Imbarrato, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
  
  Amelia Maria Imbarrato. We have no current contact information for the copyright-holder.
  
  
  If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:
  
  (licenses at lieder dot net)
  
  
  
  

• a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Zwei Brüder", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 3 DUT ENG FRE SPA
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Joseph Matthias Hubert Beltjens, Johanna Kinkel, Robert Schumann, Wilhelm Wöhler. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2006-01-26.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:02:17
Line count: 32
Word count: 159