Nascituram Orientis
laurus quondam atque palmae
cum cypressis salutarunt ;
morituram occidentis
ilices et quercus almae
commoerentes adumbrarunt :
nobilis Grajorum nata
en, quo dura trahunt fata
sepulturae requiem !
nec solamine carebis,
iam cum angelis videbis
quem planxisti, conjugem.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Joseph Viktor von Scheffel, Frau Aventiure: Lieder aus Heinrich von Ofterdingen's Zeit, Stuttgart, Adolph Bonz & Comp., 1879, page 134.

Note: beneath the title, the poem bears the note (defuncta in castro Hohenstaufen et sepulta in monasterio Lorch A. D. 1208) ("died at Hohenstaufen Castle and buried at Lorch Monastery AD 1208"). Beneath the subtitle is printed an epigraph from the Minnesänger Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1170-c. 1230): Ros 'âne dorn, ein tûbe sunder gallen. ("A rose without a thorn, a dove devoid of gall" ).

Text Authorship:

• by Joseph Viktor von Scheffel (1826 - 1886), "Irene imperatrix", subtitle: "Epitaphium", appears in Frau Aventiure. Lieder aus Heinrich von Ofterdingens Zeit, in Einer aus Schwabenland, first published 1863 [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 Oswald Körte , "Irene imperatrix (Epitaphium)", published 1890 [ voice and piano ], from Frau Aventiure. 6 Lieder von Scheffel für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 6, Berlin, Raabe & Plothow [sung text not yet checked]

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

• ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2010-04-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 37

At your birth in the East
once laurels and palms
and cypresses greeted you;
at your death in the West
the kindly ilexes and oaks
in shared grief shaded you:
noble daughter of the Greeks,
behold, the pitiless fates draw you
to the repose of the grave! 
But you will not be without solace:
now with the angels you will see 
the husband you have mourned.