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Hebt ein Falke sich empor, wiegt die Schwingen stolz und breit, fliegt empor, dann rechtshin weit, bis er schaut der Veste Tor. An dem Tor ein Mädchen sitzt, wäscht ihr weißes Angesicht, Schnee der Berge glänzet nicht, wie ihr weißer Nacken glitzt. Wie es wäscht und wie es sitzt, hebt es auf die schwarzen Brau'n, und kein Nachtstern ist zu schau'n, wie ihr schwarzes Auge blitzt. Spricht der Falke aus den Höhn: "O du Mädchen wunderschön! Wasche nicht die Wange dein, daß sie schneeig glänze nicht! Hebe nicht die Braue fein, daß dein Auge blitze nicht! Hüll den weißen Nacken ein, daß mir nicht das Herze bricht!"
Text Authorship:
- by Siegfried Kapper (1821 - 1879), appears in Die Gesänge der Serben [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Serbian (Српски) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Дјевојка на градским вратима", appears in Српске народне пјесме - скупио ис и на свијет издао Вук Стеф. Караџић (Srpske narodne pjesme), p. 412
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Der Falke", op. 93a (Sechs Lieder und Romanzen für vierstimmigen gemischten Chor) no. 5 (1883?), published 1884 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El falcó", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De valk", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The falcon", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le faucon", copyright © 2010, (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: 20
Word count: 107
A falcon lifts up into the sky, his wings swaying proudly and broadly; he soars upward, and then turns widely right until he sees Vesta's Gate. At the gate a maiden sits, washing her white face: the very snow on the mountain does not gleam as her white neck glistens. As she washes and as she sits, she lifts her black eyebrows; and you never saw a night star that blazed as her black eyes do. The falcon speaks from above: "O you wondrously fair maiden! Do not wash your cheeks so that they glitter like snow! "Do not lift your fine eyebrows so that your eyes blaze! Cover your white neck, so that my heart will not break!"
2015-11-03: Changed "Do not wash your cheeks / and let them glitter like snow! / / "Do not lift your fine eyebrows / and let your eyes blaze!" to "Do not wash your cheeks / so that they glitter like snow! / / Do not lift your fine eyebrows / so that your eyes blaze!" for the sake of clarity (avoiding a double negative).
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Siegfried Kapper (1821 - 1879), appears in Die Gesänge der Serben [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Serbian (Српски) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Дјевојка на градским вратима", appears in Српске народне пјесме - скупио ис и на свијет издао Вук Стеф. Караџић (Srpske narodne pjesme), p. 412
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 119