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It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation © by Amelia Maria Imbarrato

Oben auf des Berges Spitze
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA SPA
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.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Schumann 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Schumann: "Grausig Blendwerk schleichet"

Text 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 against a primary source]

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 yet checked]
  • by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858), "Die beiden Brüder", note: may be incorrect text for this title [sung text not yet checked]
  • 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 checked 1 time]
  • by Wilhelm Wöhler , "Zwei Brüder: Romanze", op. 2 [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De vijandige broers", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , 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


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 144

Lassù in cima alla montagna
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
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.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Die feindlichen Brüder" = "I fratelli nemici"

Text 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@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Zwei Brüder", appears in Buch der Lieder, in Junge Leiden, in Romanzen, no. 3
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2006-01-26
Line count: 32
Word count: 157

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has 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 help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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