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Zieh nicht so schnell vorüber An dieser stillen Haide, Zieh nicht so scheu vorüber An meinem tiefen Leide, Du Wolke in der Höh', Steh still bei meinem Weh! O nimm auf deine Schwingen Und trag zu ihr die Kunde: Wie Schmerz und Groll noch ringen, Und bluten aus der Wunde, Die mir [durch ihren]1 Trug Die Ungetreue schlug. Und kommst auf deinen Wegen Du an vor ihrem Hause, So stürze dich als Regen Herunter mit Gebrause, Daß sie bei dunkler Nacht Aus ihrem Traum erwacht. Schlag' [an die Fensterscheibe]2, Und schlag' an ihre Thüre, Und sei dem falschen Weibe Ein Mahner an die Schwüre, Die sie mir weinend sprach, Und die sie lächelnd brach. Und will sie das nicht hören, So magst von deinem Sitze, Du, Donner, dich empören, Dann rüttelt, all' ihr Blitze, Wenn ihr vorüberzieht, An ihrem Augenlied [sic]!
R. Franz sets stanzas 1, 2, 4, 5
Confirmed with Nicolaus Lenau's sämtliche Werke, herausgegeben von G. Emil Barthel, Leipzig: Druck und Verlag von Philipp Reclam jun., [1883], pages 48-49.
Note provided by Sharon Krebs:
Lenau originally published this poem with a different second stanza, but later he wrote: "Mein Herz eine Waise zu nennen, und obendrein eine verblutende, war von mir weichlich und läppisch, und ich schäme mich sechstausendmal beim Wiederlesen dieser verunglückten Zeilen, denn eben so oft sind sie gedruckt in der Leute Händen." Here is the original second stanza:
Und nimm auf deine Reise Mit fort zu ihr die Kunde: Mein Herz, die arme Waise, Verblutet an der Wunde, Die mir durch ihren Trug Die Ungetreue schlug.1 Franz: "mit ihrem"
2 Franz: "Regen an die Scheibe"
Text Authorship:
- by Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850), "An die Wolke", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Heidebilder [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 Anton Beer , "An die Wolke", op. 13 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], München, Schmid Nachf. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "An die Wolke", op. 30 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 6, published 1857, stanzas 1,2,4,5 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alexis Holländer (1840 - 1924), "An die Wolke", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6, published 1860 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Heinze [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Metzdorff (1844 - 1919), "An die Wolke", op. 25 no. 2, published 1875 [ voice and piano ], Braunschweig, Litolff [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst (Friedrich Karl) Rudorff (1840 - 1916), "An die Wolke ", op. 28 (Drei Gedichte für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1882 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Sieber (1822 - 1895), "An die Wolke", op. 17 (4 Lieder für Bariton (oder Mezzo-Sopran) mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1854 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (E. S. Willcox) , "The cloud"
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "To the cloud", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Au nuage", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2007-09-28
Line count: 30
Word count: 144
Do not scud so quickly Past this quiet heath, Do not scud so shyly Past my deep pain; You cloud on high, Stand still at my suffering! [Oh take upon your pinions This message and carry it to her: How pain and rancour still wrestle, And bleed from the wound]1 That, through her deception, The unfaithful woman caused me. And if upon your pathways You arrive at her house, Then as rain plunge down With a roar, So that in the dark night She wakens from her dreams. [Beat against]1 the window pane, And beat against her door, And to the false woman Be an admonisher, [reminding her] of the vows That she spoke to me with weeping, And that she smilingly broke. And if she does not wish to hear, Then from your high seat, you, Thunder, may rise up, Then, all ye lightning bolts, When you pass by, Buffet at her eyelids!
1 Lenau originally published this poem with the following lines, but later he wrote:: "To call my heart an orphan, and on top of that, an orphan who is bleeding to death, was weak and silly of me, and I am ashamed six thousand times when I reread these unsuccessful lines, for that is exactly how many times they are in peoples' hands in published form."
And upon your journey take Along this message to her: My heart, the poor orphan, Is bleeding to death from the wound.1 Franz: "Beat rain against"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 by Sharon Krebs, (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), "An die Wolke", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Heidebilder
This text was added to the website: 2020-04-30
Line count: 30
Word count: 156