Der Kreuzzug

Ein Münich steht in [seiner]1 Zell'
Am Fenstergitter grau,
Viel Rittersleut' in Waffen hell,
[Die reiten durch]2 die Au'.

Sie singen Lieder frommer Art
[In schönem, ernstem]3 Chor,
Inmitten fliegt, von Seide zart,
Die Kreuzesfahn' empor.

Sie steigen [an dem]4 Seegestad'
[Das hohe]5 Schiff hinan.
[Es]6 läuft hinweg auf [grünen]7 Pfad,
Ist bald nur wie ein Schwan.

Der Münich steht am Fenster noch,
Schaut ihnen nach hinaus:
»Ich bin, wie ihr, ein Pilger doch
Und bleib' ich gleich zu Haus'.

Des Lebens Fahrt durch Wellentrug
Und heißen Wüstensand,
[Es]8 ist ja auch ein Kreuzes-Zug
In das gelobte Land.«

Translation(s): DUT ENG FRE

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Confirmed with Gedichte von Carl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner. Wien, gedruckt bey J. P. Sollinger. 1825, pages 30-31; and with Gedichte von Karl Gottfried Ritter v. Leitner. Zweite sehr vermehrte Auflage. Hannover. Victor Lohse. 1857, page 264.

Authorship

• by Karl Gottfried von Leitner (1800 - 1890), "Der Kreuzzug", written 1824, first published 1825 [ author's text checked 2 times]

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

• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Der Kreuzzug", D. 932 (1827), published 1832, first performed 1828 [voice, piano], attachment to Allgemeiner Musikalischer Anzeiger, Wien [ sung text verified 1 time]

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

• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De kruistocht", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The crusade", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La croisade", copyright © 2011, (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

The crusade

 A monk stands in his cell
 by the gray window grille;
 Several knights in bright armor
 are riding through the meadow.

 They sing songs of a holy sort
 in a beautiful, earnest chorus;
 In their midst, of delicate silk,
 flies the banner of the cross.

 At the seashore they climb
 on board their tall ship.
 It sails away on the green path,
 and soon it seems nothing more than a swan.

 The monk stands at the window still,
 Gazing out after them:
 "I am, like you, a pilgrim as well,
 Yet I remain at home all the same.

 Life's journey through deceitful waves
 and hot wastelands...
 It is also a crusade
 To the promised land."

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

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,
  from the LiederNet Archive -- http://www.lieder.net/

  For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
  
  
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• a text in German (Deutsch) by Karl Gottfried von Leitner (1800 - 1890), "Der Kreuzzug", written 1824, first published 1825 DUT FRE
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Franz Peter Schubert. Go to the text.

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