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Seht den Felsenquell, Freudehell, Wie ein Sternenblick; Über Wolken Nährten seine Jugend Gute Geister Zwischen Klippen im Gebüsch. Jünglingfrisch Tanzt er aus der Wolke Auf die Marmorfelsen nieder, Jauchzet wieder Nach dem Himmel. Durch die Gipfelgänge Jagt er bunten Kieseln nach, Und mit frühem Führertritt Reißt er seine Bruderquellen Mit sich fort. [Drunten werden in dem Thal Unter seinem Fußtritt Blumen]1, Und die Wiese Lebt von seinem Hauch. Doch ihn hält kein Schattenthal, Keine Blumen, Die ihm seine Knie' umschlingen, Ihm mit Liebes-Augen schmeicheln: Nach der Ebne dringt sein Lauf, Schlangenwandelnd. Bäche schmiegen Sich gesellig an. Nun tritt er In die Ebne silberprangend, Und die Ebne prangt mit ihm, Und die Flüsse von der Ebne Und die Bäche von den Bergen Jauchzen ihm und rufen: Bruder! Bruder, nimm die Brüder mit, Mit zu deinem alten Vater, Zu dem ewgen Ocean, Der mit ausgespannten Armen Unser wartet, Die sich ach! vergebens öffnen, Seine Sehnenden zu fassen; Denn uns frißt in öder Wüste Gier'ger Sand; die Sonne droben Saugt an unserm Blut; ein Hügel Hemmet uns zum Teiche! Bruder, Nimm die Brüder von der Ebne, Nimm die Brüder von den Bergen Mit, zu deinem Vater mit! Kommt ihr alle! - Und nun schwillt er Herrlicher; ein ganz Geschlechte Trägt den Fürsten hoch empor! Und im rollenden Triumphe Gibt er Ländern Namen, Städte Werden unter seinem Fuß. Unaufhaltsam rauscht er weiter, Läßt der Thürme Flammengipfel, Marmorhäuser, eine Schöpfung Seiner Fülle, hinter sich. Cedernhäuser trägt der Atlas Auf den Riesenschultern; sausend Wehen über seinem Haupte Tausend Flaggen durch die Lüfte, Zeugen seiner Herrlichkeit. Und so trägt er seine Brüder, Seine Schätze, seine Kinder, Dem erwartenden Erzeuger Freudebrausend an das Herz.
Confirmed with Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Zweyter Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1827, pages 55-57; and with Goethe's Schriften, Achter Band, Leipzig, bey Georg Joachim Göschen, 1789, pages 183-186. Note: in many older editions, the spelling of the capitalized word "über" becomes "Ueber", but this is often due to the printing process and not to rules of orthography; so since the lower-case version is not "ueber", we use "Über".
Note: the poem was first published under the title "Gesang" in Göttinger Musenalmanach auf das Jahr 1774. The text was attributed to "E. O."
Note: in Schubert's D 549, in stanza 1, Schubert inserts a copy of the third line before the second line so lines 1,3,2,3 are sung before continuing with the rest of the stanza. And in stanza 2, the words "nieder, jünglingfrisch" are added after line 2.
Note: Schubert's fragment of the second setting (D 721) breaks off at the end of stanza 2. His fragment of the first setting (D 549) breaks off in the middle of stanza 6, in line 9 after the words "Mit zu deinem alten".
1 Schubert: "Drunten in dem Thal/ Unter seinem Fußtritt werden Blumen"Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Mahomets Gesang", written 1772-73, first published 1773 [author's text checked 2 times 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 (Christian Gottlob) August Bergt (1772 - 1837), "Mahomets Gesang", c1816 [ vocal trio with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst Paul Flügel (1844 - 1912), "Mahomet's Gesang", op. 24, published 1882 [ chorus and orchestra ], Breslau, Hainauer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Kahn (1865 - 1951), "Mahomets Gesang", op. 24 (1896), published 1896 [ mixed chorus and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lothar Kempter (1844 - 1918), "Mahomets Gesang", published 1891 [ men's chorus and large orchestra with organ ad libitum ], Zürich, Fries [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Mahomets Gesang", op. 85 (1840) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Mahomets Gesang", D 549 (1817), published 1895 [ voice, piano ], first setting; fragment (realized by Reinhard van Hoorickx) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Mahomets Gesang", D 721 (1821), published 1895 [ bass, piano ], second setting; fragment (realized by Reinhard van Hoorickx) [sung text checked 1 time]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La cançó de Mahoma", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Mohammeds gezang", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Song for Mohammed", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Chant de Mahomet", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Martin-Beatus Meier , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 68
Word count: 275
Behold this rocky spring, bright with joy like a twinkling star; above the clouds its youth was nourished by good spirits among the cliffs in the bushes. Fresh as a youth it dances out of the cloud down to the marble rocks, cheering again to the sky. Along mountainous paths it chases after colorful pebbles, and with the step of a young leader its companion-springs journey with it onward. Below in the valley flowers appear from its footprints, and the meadow derives life from its breath. But no shaded valley can stop it, no flower, clasping its knees and imploring it with loving eyes: toward the Plains it presses its course, twisting like a snake. Brooks nuzzle up sociably. Now it treads into the Plain, resplendent with silver, and the Plain grows silver too, and the rivers of the Plain and the brooks of the mountains cheer and shout: "Brother! Brother, take your brothers with, take them with you to your ancient father, to the eternal ocean, whose outstretched arms await us, who, ah! has opened them in vain to embrace his yearning children; for the bleak wasteland's greedy sand devours us; the sun above sucks up all our blood; a hill clogs us into a pool! Brother, take your brothers from this Plain, take your brothers from the mountains, take them with you to your ancient father! Come all of you! - and now [the spring] swells more grandly: an entire race lifts the prince up high! And in rolling triumph it gives names to the lands and cities that grow in its path. Irresistibly it rushes onward, leaving a wake of flaming-tipped towers and houses of marble - creations of its bounty. Like Atlas it bears cedar houses upon its giant's shoulders; over its head, the wind noisily blows a thousand flags as testimony of its glory. And so it brings its brothers, its treasures, its children, effervescent with joy, to the waiting parent's bosom.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
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Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Mahomets Gesang", written 1772-73, first published 1773
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 68
Word count: 325