Mighty one, who bends the tree-tops to thy pleasure

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by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Mächtiger, der du die Wipfel dir beugst

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Mächtiger, der du die Wipfel dir beugst,
Brausend von Krone zu Krone entsteigst,
Wandle du Stürmender, wandle nur fort,
Reiß' mir den stürmenden Busen mit fort.

Wie das Gewölke, das donnernd entfliegt,
Dir auf der brausenden Schwinge sich wiegt,
Führe den Geist aus dem irdischen Haus
In die Unendlichkeit stürmend hinaus!

Trage mich hin, wo die bebende Welt,
Rings in Verwüstung und Trümmer zerschellt,
Über den Trümmern mit grausender Lust
Fühl' ich den Gott in der pochenden Brust.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• P. Cornelius • C. Loewe

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Confirmed with Gesammelte Gedichte von Friedrich Rückert. Dritter Band. Erlangen. Verlag von Carl Heyder. 1837, pages 18-19.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), "An den Sturmwind", written 1807-1810, appears in Jugendlieder [author's text checked 2 times against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 87

Mighty one, who bends the tree‑tops to...

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Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Mighty one, who bends the tree-tops to thy pleasure,
Rising with a roar from crown to crown,
Travel, Thou Storming One, only travel onward,
Carry my stormy bosom off with you.

As the clouds that fly off thunderously
Sway upon your whirling pinions,
Lead my spirit ragingly from 
The earthly abode out into infinity!

Bear me to where the trembling world
Shatters into devastation and ruins all around;
Above the ruins with dreadful joy
I feel the divinity in my throbbing breast.

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Translations of title(s):
"An den Sturmwind" = "To the storm-wind"
"Dem Allmächtigen" = "To the Almighty"
"Mächtiger, der du die Wipfeln" = "Mighty one, who [bends] the tree-tops"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866), "An den Sturmwind", written 1807-1810, appears in Jugendlieder
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This text was added to the website: 2024-01-06
Line count: 12
Word count: 91