by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart (1739 - 1791)
Translation © by Christakis Poumbouris

Die Forelle
 (Sung text for setting by F. Schubert)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT CHI DUT ENG ENG ENG ENG FIN FRE GRE ITA JPN SPA SPA
In einem Bächlein helle,
Da schoß in froher Eil
Die launische Forelle
Vorüber, wie ein Pfeil:
Ich stand an dem Gestade,
Und sah' in süsser Ruh
Des muntern Fischleins Bade
Im klaren Bächlein zu.

Ein Fischer mit der Ruthe
Wol an dem Ufer stand,
Und sah's mit kaltem Blute
Wie sich das Fischlein wand.
So lang dem Wasser Helle,
So dacht' ich, nicht gebricht,
So fängt er die Forelle
Mit seiner Angel nicht.

Doch endlich ward dem Diebe
Die Zeit zu lang; er macht
Das Bächlein tückisch trübe:
Und eh' ich es gedacht,
So zuckte seine Ruthe;
Das Fischlein zappelt dran;
Und ich, mit regem Blute,
Sah die Betrogne an.

 ...

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

Note: Schubert produced over the years four copies of Die Forelle, resulting in five slightly different versions. The third version, dedicated to Josef Hüttenbrenner and presumably written down from memory, has the final two lines (of stanza 3) differently: 

Ich sah mit regem Blute
Das arme Fischlein an.

Note: Schubart, who also set the poem himself, had an additional stanza between stanza 3 and 4 that he supressed in the printed edition: 

So scheust auch manche Schöne
Im vollen Strom der Zeit
Und sieht nicht die Sirene
Die ihr im Wirbel dräut.
Sie folgt dem Drang der Liebe
Und eh' sie sichs versieht
So wird das Bächlein trübe
Und ihre Unschuld flieht.

Composition:

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La truita", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • CHI Chinese (中文) (Yan-Jiang Che) , "鱒魚", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De forel", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The trout", copyright ©
  • ENG English (Walter Meyer) , "The Trout", copyright © 1995, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (Shula Keller) , "The trout", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (Daniel Platt) , "The trout", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Forelli", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La truite", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Η πέστροφα", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) (Antonio Zencovich) , "La trota", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • JPN Japanese (日本語) (Naoyuki Okada) , "ます", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Lourdes Leon) , "La Trucha", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Xavier Rivera) , "La Trucha", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


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: 32
Word count: 152

Language: Greek (Ελληνικά)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Στο γάργαρο ρυάκι
Πετιέται’ ολόχαρη
Η πέστροφα κεφάτη,
Σαν βέλος γρήγορη.
Ως στέκομουν στην άκρη,
Κοιτούσα ήρεμα
Το θαρραλέο ψάρι
Στα καθαρά νερά.

Ψαράς με το καλάμι
Γαλήνια κοίταγε,
Στην όχθη το ψαράκι
Πώς του ξεγλίστραγε.
Ενόσω παραμένει
Καθάριο το νερό,
Στην πέστροφα δεν μπαίνει
Αγκίστρι φονικό.

Μα ξαφνικά ο κλέφτης
Ταράζει τα νερά,
Αφού πολύ βαρέθη,
Και τότε ξαφνικά
Το καλαμίδι τρέμει,
Το ψάρι σπαρταρά,
Και την απατημένη
Θρηνάω πέστροφα.

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.

Show a transliteration: DIN | ISO 843

Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Greek (Ελληνικά) copyright © 2018 by Christakis Poumbouris, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Christakis Poumbouris.  Contact: chrispou (AT) spidernet (DOT) com (DOT) cy

    If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:

Based on:

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website: 2018-03-03
Line count: 24
Word count: 71