Ich kann wohl manchmal singen,
Als ob ich fröhlich sei,
Doch heimlich Tränen dringen,
Da wird das Herz mir frei.

[Es]1 lassen Nachtigallen,
Spielt draußen Frühlingsluft,
Der Sehnsucht Lied erschallen
Aus ihres [Kerkers]2 Gruft.

[Da]3 lauschen alle Herzen,
Und alles ist erfreut,
Doch keiner [fühlt]3 die Schmerzen,
Im Lied das tiefe Leid.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Blodek, Hensel, Jensen, Schoeck, Széchényi: "So"
² Blodek, Jensen, Schoeck, Széchényi: "Käfigs"
³ Barth, Hensel: "Es"
⁴ Hensel: "ahnt"

Text Authorship:

• by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), no title, appears in Gedichte, in 2. Sängerleben, in Wehmut, no. 1

See other settings of this text.

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Weemoed", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
• ENG English [singable] (Shula Keller) , "Melancholy", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Parfois je peux bien chanter", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• HEB Hebrew (עברית) (Max Mader) , "עצבות", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Malinconia", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , "Vemod", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• POR Portuguese (Português) (Elke Beatriz Riedel) , "Melancolia", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Diego S. Loyola) , "Melancolía", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 52

Alors que ma voix chante
Joie et bonheur parfait,
Mon coeur, lui, se lamente
Et soupire en secret.

Comme le rossignol
Dans sa cage dorée
En notes gaies et folles
Pleure sa liberté.

Sous le chant qui vous charme,
Sous l'insouciante gaité
Qui sait combien de larmes
En secret sont versées.