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.
Fern im Süd das schöne Spanien,
Spanien ist mein Heimathland,
Wo die schattigen Kastanien
Rauschen an des Ebro Strand,
Wo die Mandeln röthlich blühen,
Wo die heiße Traube winkt
Und die Rosen schöner glühen
Und das Mondlicht goldner blinkt.
Und nun wandr' ich mit der Laute
Traurig hier von Haus zu Haus,
Doch kein helles Auge schaute
Freundlich noch nach mir heraus.
Spärlich reicht man mir die Gaben,
Mürrisch heißet man mich gehn;
Ach, den armen braunen Knaben
Will kein Einziger verstehn.
Dieser Nebel drückt mich nieder,
Der die Sonne mir entfernt,
Und die alten lust'gen Lieder
Hab' ich alle fast verlernt.
Immer in die Melodien
Schleicht der Eine Klang sich ein:
In die Heimath möcht ich ziehen,
In das Land voll Sonnenschein!
...
Nein! Des Herzens sehnend Schlagen
Länger halt' ich's nicht zurück;
Will ja jeder Lust entsagen,
Laßt mir nur der Heimath Glück!
Fort zum Süden! Fort nach Spanien
In das Land voll Sonnenschein!
Unter'm Schatten der Kastanien
Muß ich einst begraben sein!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3,6 of the original text.
Composition:
- Set to music by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798 - 1859), "Der Zigeunerbube im Norden", published 1836, stanzas 1-3,6 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Paul
Text Authorship:
- by Emanuel Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Der Zigeunerbube im Norden"
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Anja Bunzel) , "The Spanish zither player", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (C Everest) , "The Gypsy Boy"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2007-09-30
Line count: 48
Word count: 253
Far in the south lies lovely Spain,
Spain is my homeland,
Where the shady chestnuts
Sough along the banks of the Ebro,
Where the almonds bloom pinkly,
Where the hot grape beckons
And the roses glow more beautifully
And the moonlight twinkles more golden.
And now I wander with my lute
Sadly here from house to house,
But no bright eyes have yet
Peered out amiably to me.
People hand me meagre gifts,
Dourly they command me to go;
Ah, not a single person wishes to understand
The poor brown boy.
This fog oppresses me,
The fog that distances the sun from me,
And the old merry songs,
I have almost forgotten them all.
Into the melodies there always
Creeps a single tone:
I would like to travel to my homeland,
To the land full of sunshine!
...
No! the yearning beating of my heart,
I can no longer hold it back;
I will gladly renounce every joy,
Only leave me the happiness of my homeland!
Off to the south! Off to Spain,
Into the land full of sunshine!
Under the shade of the chestnuts
I must someday be buried!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-3,6 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2021 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Emanuel Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Der Zigeunerbube im Norden"
Go to the general single-text view
This text was added to the website: 2021-05-15
Line count: 48
Word count: 290