English translations of Zwei Gesänge, opus 8

by Gustav Eggers (1835 - 1861)

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1. Hörst du nicht die Bäume rauschen  [sung text not yet checked]
by Gustav Eggers (1835 - 1861), "Hörst du nicht die Bäume rauschen", op. 8 (Zwei Gesänge) no. 1, published 1860 [ voice and piano ]
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Hörst du nicht die Bäume rauschen
Draußen durch die stille Rund?
Lockts dich nicht, hinabzulauschen
Von dem Söller in den Grund,
Wo die vielen Bäche gehen
Wunderbar im Mondenschein
Wo die stillen Schlösser sehen
In den Fluß vom hohen Stein?

Kennst du noch die irren Lieder
Aus der alten, schönen Zeit?
Sie erwachen alle wieder
Nachts in Waldeseinsamkeit,
Wenn die Bäume träumend lauschen
Und der Flieder duftet schwül
Und im Fluß die Nixen rauschen -
Komm herab, hier ist's so kühl.

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by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857)
1. Can't you hear the forest rustle
Language: English 
Can't you hear the forest rustle
outside through the quiet round?
Aren't you tempted to listen
down from the balcony to the ground
where the many brooks flow
wondrously in moonlight -
where the silent castles look
into the river from the high rock?

Do you remember the mad songs
from former, beautiful times?
They all awake again at night,
in the loneliness of the forest,
when the dreaming trees are listening
and the lilac has a sultry scent
and in the river the mermaids murmur:
come down, here it is so cool.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Jakob Kellner, (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.
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 92

Translation © by Jakob Kellner
2. Wandrers Nachtlied  [sung text not yet checked]
by Gustav Eggers (1835 - 1861), "Wandrers Nachtlied", op. 8 (Zwei Gesänge) no. 2, published 1860 [ voice and piano ]
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

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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.

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
2. Over all the peaks it is peaceful
Language: English 
Over all the peaks
it is peaceful,
in all the treetops
you feel
hardly a breath of wind;
the little birds are silent in the forest...
only wait - soon
you will rest as well.

Text 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

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 34

Translation © by Emily Ezust