Melancholy bird | A black-bird flies across the world

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by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914)

Translation © by John H. Campbell

Vöglein Schwermut

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

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Ein schwarzes Vöglein fliegt über die Welt,
das singt so todestraurig...
Wer es hört, der hört nichts anderes mehr,
wer es hört, der tut sich ein Leides an,
der mag keine Sonne mehr schauen.
Allmitternacht ruht es sich aus
auf dem Finger des Tods.
Der streichelt's leis und spricht ihm zu:
"Flieg, mein Vögelein! flieg, mein Vögelein!"
Und wieder fliegt's flötend über die Welt.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• W. Petersen • E. Wolff • E. Zeisl • A. Zemlinsky

View text with all available footnotes

Text Authorship:

by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Vöglein Schwermut", appears in Auf vielen Wegen, in Vom Tagwerk des Todes [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 73

Melancholy bird

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

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A black-bird flies across the world,
singing so sorrowfully of death . . .
Whoever hears it, hears nothing else,
whoever hears it, hears such sadness,
they fear the sun may shine no more.
All thru' the night it rests
on the finger of death.
He caresses the bird solemnly and urges it:
Fly, my little bird! Fly, little bird!
And again it flies soaring over the world.

Available sung text translations: ← What is this?

• W. Petersen

View text with all available footnotes

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by John H. Campbell, (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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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Vöglein Schwermut", appears in Auf vielen Wegen, in Vom Tagwerk des Todes
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general view

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 69