Es zogen zwei rüst'ge Gesellen
Zum erstenmal von Haus,
So jubelnd recht in die hellen,
[Klingenden]1, singenden Wellen
Des vollen Frühlings hinaus.

Die strebten nach hohen Dingen,
Die wollten, trotz Lust und Schmerz,
Was Recht's in der Welt vollbringen,
Und wem sie vorübergingen,
Dem lachten Sinnen und Herz. --

Der Erste, der fand ein Liebchen,
Die Schwieger kauft' Hof und Haus;
Der wiegte gar bald ein Bübchen,
Und sah aus heimlichen Stübchen
Behaglich in's Feld hinaus.

Dem Zweiten sangen und logen
Die tausend Stimmen im Grund,
Verlockend' Sirenen, und zogen
Ihn in [der buhlenden Wogen
Farbig klingenden Schlund]2.

Und wie er auftaucht vom Schlunde
Da war er müde und alt,
Sein Schifflein das lag im Grunde,
So still war's rings in [die]3 Runde
Und über [die]4 Wasser weht's kalt.

Es [singen und klingen]5 die Wellen
Des Frühlings wohl über mir;
Und seh' ich so kecke Gesellen,
Die Tränen im Auge mir schwellen -
Ach, Gott, führ' uns liebreich zu Dir!

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Schumann: "In die klingenden"
² Schumann: "die buhlenden Wogen,/ In der Wogen farbigen Schlund"
³ Schumann: "der"
⁴ schumann: "den"
⁵ Schumann: "klingen und singen"

Text Authorship:

• by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Die zwei Gesellen", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Sängerleben [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 Philipp Jarnach (1892 - 1982), "Die zwei Gesellen", 1915 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Johann Langer (1861 - 1950), "Frühlingsfahrt" [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Frühlingsfahrt", op. 45 (Romanzen und Balladen für Singstimme und Klavier (Heft 1)) no. 2 (1840), published 1844 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Die zwei Gesellen", op. 52 no. 3 (185-?) [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) , "Op reis in de lente", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Les deux compagnons", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Due baldanzosi giovanotti", copyright © 2006, (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: 30
Word count: 165

Two spry youths left home
for the first time,
and set sail with jubilation in the bright,
splashing and singing waves
during the fullness of Spring.

They aspired after high things,
wishing, despite pleasure and pain,
to bring what is right into the world;
and if they went past,
their minds and hearts laughed.

The first one found a sweetheart,
whose mother bought him a farm and a house;
soon he was cradling a little baby
and looking out from a secret little room
cosily into the field.

The second one was sung to and lied to
by a thousand voices in the earth:
tantalizing siren songs pulled
him down into the enticing waves,
into the waves of the colorful abyss.

And when he surfaced from the abyss,
he was exhausted and old,
his boat lay grounded;
it was so very quiet around,
and across the waters cold winds blew.

The waves of Spring sing and splash
well beyond me;
and when I see such bold youths,
the tears swell in my eyes -
ah God, guide us lovingly to you!