LiederNet logo

CONTENTS

×
  • Home | Introduction
  • Composers (20,969)
  • Text Authors (20,998)
  • Go to a Random Text
  • What’s New
  • A Small Tour
  • FAQ & Links
  • Donors
  • DONATE

UTILITIES

  • Search Everything
  • Search by Surname
  • Search by Title or First Line
  • Search by Year
  • Search by Collection

CREDITS

  • Emily Ezust
  • Contributors (1,134)
  • Contact Information
  • Bibliography

  • Copyright Statement
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us on Facebook

×

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Friedrich von Matthisson (1761 - 1831)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Geistertanz
 (Sung text for setting by J. Lang)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA
Die bretterne Kammer
   Der Todten erbebt,
Wenn zwölfmal den Hammer
   Die Mitternacht hebt.

Rasch tanzen um Gräber
   Und morsches Gebein
Wir luftigen Schweber
   Den sausenden Reihn.

Was winseln die Hunde
   Beim schlafenden Herrn?
Sie wittern die Runde
   Der Geister so fern.

Die Raben entflattern
   Der wüsten Abtei,
Und fliehn vor den Gattern
   Des Kirchhofs vorbei.

Wir gaukeln, und scherzen
   Hinab und empor,
Gleich irrenden Kerzen
   Im dunstigen Moor.

 ... 

Tief bargst du im düstern
   Gemach unser Weh;
Wir Glücklichen flüstern
   Dir fröhlich: Ade!

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-5,7 of the original text.

Composition:

    Set to music by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Geistertanz", op. 5 no. 4, published 1834, stanzas 1-5,7 [ voice and piano ], note: first published without an opus number; designated in 1867 as opus 5; München: Falter und Sohn

Text Authorship:

  • by Friedrich von Matthisson (1761 - 1831), "Der Geistertanz", written 1797-98

See other settings of this text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Antonio Zencovich) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 100

Danse des esprits
 (Sung text translation for setting by J. Lang)
 See original
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
La chambre en bois
Des morts tremble,
Quand douze fois le marteau
Frappe minuit.

Vite nous dansons autour des tombes
Et des ossements vermoulus,
Nous, les esprits des airs,
Une ronde impétueuse.

Pourquoi les chiens geignent-ils
Près de leur maître endormi ?
Ils flairent la ronde
Des esprits de loin.

Les corbeaux s'envolent
De l'abbaye déserte
Et volent le long des grilles
Du cimetière.

Nous voltigeons et badinons
Vers le bas et vers le haut
Comme des chandelles vagabondant
Dans des marais vaporeux.

 ... 

Profondément tu as caché dans la sombre
Chambre notre douleur ;
Heureux, nous te murmurons
Joyeusement : Adieu !

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-5,7 of the original text.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2010 by Guy Laffaille, (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 Friedrich von Matthisson (1761 - 1831), "Der Geistertanz", written 1797-98
    • Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website: 2010-01-20
Line count: 28
Word count: 115

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

Donate

We use cookies for internal analytics and to earn much-needed advertising revenue. (Did you know you can help support us by turning off ad-blockers?) To learn more, see our Privacy Policy. To learn how to opt out of cookies, please visit this site.

I acknowledge the use of cookies

Contact
Copyright
Privacy

Copyright © 2026 The LiederNet Archive

Site redesign by Shawn Thuris