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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:
- Set to music by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Die Forelle", D 550 (1817?), stanzas 1-3
Text Authorship:
- by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart (1739 - 1791), "Die Forelle", written 1782-83
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
In a bright little brook
there shot in merry haste
a capricious trout:
past it shot like an arrow.
I stood upon the shore
and watched in sweet peace
the cheery little fish's bath
in the clear little brook.
A fisher with his rod
stood at the water-side,
and watched with cold blood
as the fish swam about.
So long as the clearness of the water
remained intact, I thought,
he would not be able to capture the trout
with his fishing rod.
But finally the thief grew weary
of waiting. He stirred up
the brook and made it muddy,
and before I realized it,
his fishing rod was twitching:
the fish was squirming there,
and with raging blood I
gazed at the deceived fish.
...
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3 of the original text.
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 ArchiveFor any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart (1739 - 1791), "Die Forelle", written 1782-83
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 168