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.«

View original text (without footnotes)

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.

¹ Leitner (1857 edition): "enger"
² Leitner (1857 edition): "Durchreiten fern"
³ Leitner (1857 edition), and Schubert (Alte Gesamtausgabe): "Im schönen ernsten"; Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "In schönem, ernsten"
⁴ Leitner (1857 edition): "rasch am"
⁵ Leitner (1857 edition): "Ein hohes"
⁶ Leitner (1857 edition): "Das"
⁷ Leitner (1857 edition), and Schubert: "grünem"
⁸ Leitner (1857 edition): "Sie"

Text Authorship:

• by Karl Gottfried von Leitner (1800 - 1890), "Der Kreuzzug", written 1824, first published 1825 [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 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 checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La croada", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• 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

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 106

 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."