Echo | A wanderer makes his lucid song ring out

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by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850)

Translation © by Peter Palmer

Nachhall

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Ein Wandrer läßt sein helles Lied erklingen:
Nun schweigt er still und schwindet in den Föhren;
Ich möchte länger noch ihn singen hören,
Doch tröst' ich mich: er kann nicht ewig singen.

Der Wandrer schweigt, doch jene Felsen bringen
Mir seinen Widerhall in dunklen Chören,
Als wollten sie sein Lied zurückbeschwören,
Nun ist es still -, den Quell nur hör' ich springen.

Der Wandrer schwieg und schied; ich sprach gelassen:
Fahr wohl! warum denn fühl' ich jetzt ein Trauern,
Daß länger nicht sein Nachhall mochte dauern?

Mehr als des Menschen Tod will mich's erfassen,
Wenn ihn bereits nach wenig Tagesneigen
Hier, dort noch einer nennt - bis alle schweigen.

Text Authorship:

by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Nachhall", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Sonette [author's text not yet checked 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 Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Nachhall", op. 70 no. 1 (1954-5) [ medium voice and orchestra ], from Nachhall: Liederfolge nach Gedichten von Nikolaus Lenau und Matthias Claudius, no. 1, Wien: Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Peter Palmer) , "Echo", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Écho", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-09-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 108

Echo

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A wanderer makes his lucid song ring out;
Now he falls silent and vanishes amid the pine trees;
How I would like to hear him go on singing,
But I console myself by thinking: he can't sing forever.

The wanderer is silent, but those crags
Are carrying his echo to me in somber choruses,
As though wanting to retrieve his song by magic;
Now it is quiet -- I hear only the spring gushing.

The wanderer fell silent and departed; I calmly said:
Farewell! so why do I now feel mournful
That his echo wouldn't resound for longer?

It will move me more than the man's death
If, after a few days have passed,
Here and there somebody still utters his name -- until all are silent.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Peter Palmer, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "Nachhall", appears in Gedichte, in 4. Viertes Buch, in Sonette
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 125