Es war ein König in Thule Gar treu bis an [das]1 Grab, Dem sterbend seine Buhle Einen goldnen Becher gab. Es ging ihm nichts darüber, Er leert' ihn jeden Schmaus; Die Augen gingen ihm über, So oft er trank daraus. Und als er kam zu sterben, Zählt' er seine Städt' im Reich, [Gönnt']2 alles [seinem]3 Erben, Den Becher nicht zugleich. Er saß beim Königsmahle, Die Ritter um ihn her, [Auf hohem]4 Vätersaale, Dort auf dem Schloß am Meer. Dort stand der alte Zecher, Trank letzte Lebensgluth, Und warf den [heil'gen]5 Becher Hinunter in die Fluth. Er sah ihn stürzen, trinken, Und sinken tief ins Meer. Die Augen täten ihm sinken; Trank nie einen Tropfen mehr.
Fünf Gesänge für 1 mittlere Stimme mit Pianoforte , opus 2
by Hermann Behn (1857?9 - 1927)
Translations available for the entire opus: ENG
1. Der König in Thule [sung text not yet checked]
Language: German (Deutsch)
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der König in Thule", written 1774, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I), Margarete's song, first published 1782
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jan Evangelista Nečas) , "Král v Thule"
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Otokar Fischer) , "Král v Thule"
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De koning van Thule", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "There was a King of Thule", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (Arthur Westbrook) , "The King of Thule"
- IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , "Bhí rí ann fadó in Thule", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il re in Tule", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "O rei em Thule", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Diego Gonzales) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Erster Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1827, pages 187-188; and with "Faust. Ein Fragment" in Goethe's Schriften. Siebenter Band, Leipzig, bey Georg Joachim Göschen, 1790, pages 94-95. The two versions differ in stanza 5, line 3 word 3 ("heil'gen" in the first cited work, "heiligen" in the second cited work.
Note: the text was first published in a different version in Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, In Musik gesetzt von Siegmund Freyherrn von Seckendorff, Dritte Sammlung. Dessau, 1782, pages 6-9; see below.
See also "Het dartele water bruiselt", a poem by Pol de Mont written to be sung to Schumann's song "Der König von Thule".
1 Lenz, Liszt: "sein"2 Zelter: "Lies"
3 Fritze, Lenz, Liszt: "seinen"
3 Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "seinen"
4 Zelter: "In hohen"
5 Rheinberger: "heiligen"
2. Aus den Himmelsaugen droben [sung text not yet checked]
Language: German (Deutsch)
Aus den Himmelsaugen droben Fallen zitternd [goldne]1 Funken Durch die Nacht, und meine Seele Dehnt sich liebeweit und weiter. O ihr Himmelsaugen droben! Weint euch aus in meine Seele, Daß von lichten Sternentränen Überfließet meine Seele.
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Nordsee, in Erster Zyklus, in 7. Nachts in der Kajüte, no. 3
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John H. Campbell) , "From heaven's eyes above", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emma Lazarus) , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
1 Franz: "lichte"
3. Gewitter
Language: German (Deutsch)
Es leuchtet die Gottheit aus heiligen Blitzen
. . . . . . . . . .
— The rest of this text is not
currently in the database but will be
added as soon as we obtain it. —
4. Wandrers Nachtlied [sung text not yet checked]
Language: German (Deutsch)
Über allen [Gipfeln]1 Ist Ruh', In allen Wipfeln Spürest du Kaum einen Hauch; Die [Vögelein]2 schweigen im Walde. Warte nur, balde Ruhest du auch.3
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Ein Gleiches", written 1780, first published 1815
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- AFR Afrikaans [singable] (Robert Schall) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Karel Dostál-Lutinov) , "Počkej", first published 1917
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Wim Reedijk) , "Boven alle bergen", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Trekkers nachtlied II", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Over all the peaks it is peaceful", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Edgar Alfred Bowring) , "The wanderer's night-song", appears in The Poems of Goethe, first published 1853
- ENG English [singable] (Arthur Westbrook) , "Wanderer's night song"
- ENG English (Patrick John Corness) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Yölaulu", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le chant de nuit du voyageur II", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Au sommet de tous les pics", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Sopra ogni vetta", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Canto notturno del viandante I", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- RUS Russian (Русский) (Innokenty Fyodorovich Annensky) , no title
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Mercedes Vivas) , "Sobre todas las cumbres", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Confirmed with Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Erster Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1827, page 109; and with Goethe's Werke. Erster Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J. G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1815, page 99.
Note: in many older editions, the spelling of the capitalized word "über" becomes "Ueber", but this is often due to the printing process and not to rules of orthography, since the lower-case version is not "ueber", so we use "Über".
See also J.D. Falk's poem Unter allen Wipfeln ist Ruh.
1 Flügel, Gaugler, Hasse, Radecke: "Wipfeln" (according to the incipits given in Hofmeister) ; further changes may exist not noted above.2 Greith, Schubert: "Vöglein"
3 Lachner adds
Über allen Wipfeln Ist Ruh', Balde Ruhest du auch.
5. Gebet [sung text not yet checked]
Language: German (Deutsch)
Die du über die Sterne weg Mit der geleerten Schale [Aufschwebst]1, um sie [am ew'gen Born]2 [Eilig]3 wieder zu füllen: Einmal schwenke sie noch, o Glück, Einmal, lächelnde Göttin! Sieh, ein einziger Tropfen hängt Noch verloren am Rande, Und der einzige Tropfen genügt, Eine himmlische Seele, Die hier unten in Schmerz erstarrt, Wieder in Wonne zu lösen. Ach! sie weint dir [süßeren]4 Dank, Als die [anderen]5 alle, Die du glücklich und reich gemacht; Laß ihn fallen, den Tropfen!
Text Authorship:
- by (Christian) Friedrich Hebbel (1813 - 1863), "Gebet", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Vermischte Gedichte
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Confirmed with Hebbels Werke, Erster Teil, Gedichte -- Mutter und Kind, herausgegeben und mit einem Lebensbild versehen von Theodor Poppe, Berlin, Leipzig, Wien, Stuttgart: Deutsches Verlagshaus Bong & Co., [1908], pages 127-128
1 Brückler: "Aufsteigst"2 Brückler: "aus ewigem Borne"
3 Brückler: "Eiligst"
4 Brückler: "süßern", Pfitzner, Reger: "süßrern"
5 Brückler: "andern"; Pfitzner, Reger: "andren"