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Wer hat dich, du schöner Wald,
Aufgebaut so hoch da droben?
Wohl den Meister will ich loben,
Solang noch mein' Stimme erschallt:
Lebe wohl,
Lebe wohl, du schöner Wald!
Tief die Welt verworren schallt,
Oben einsam Rehe grasen.
Und wir ziehen fort und blasen,
Daß es tausendfach verhallt:
Lebe wohl,
Lebe wohl, du schöner Wald!
...
Was wir still gelobt im Wald,
Wollen's draußen ehrlich halten,
Ewig bleiben treu die Alten:
Bis das letzte Lied verhallt:
Lebe wohl,
Schirm' dich Gott, du deutscher Wald!
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4 of the original text.
Note for stanza 4, lines 4-6: another edition of Eichendorff has the following:
Deutsch Panier, das rauschend wallt: Lebe wohl, schirm dich Gott, du schöner Wald!"
Composition:
- Set to music by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Der Jäger Abschied", op. 50 (Sechs Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor) no. 2 (1838), published 1840, stanzas 1-2,4 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner
Score: IMSLP [external link]
Text Authorship:
- by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Der Jäger Abschied", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Zeitlieder
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (David Guess) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-11-20
Line count: 24
Word count: 109
Qui t’a créée, ô belle forêt
Dressée si haut là-haut ?
C’est bien le maître que je veux louer,
Tant que ma voix résonne encore :
Adieu,
Adieu, ô belle forêt !
Au fond, le monde gronde et s’emmêle,
Là-haut, solitaires, paissent les chevreuils.
Et nous avançons, joyeux, en sonnant,
Si bien que l’écho se multiplie mille fois :
Adieu,
Adieu, ô belle forêt !
...
Ce que, silencieux, nous avons juré en forêt,
Nous le garderons honnêtement en-dehors.
À jamais fidèles resteront les anciens,
Jusqu’à ce que le dernier chant s’éteigne :
Adieu,
Que Dieu te protège, ô forêt allemande !
Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,4 of the original text.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2026 by Pierre Mathé, (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.
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Der Jäger Abschied", appears in Gedichte, in 3. Zeitlieder
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This text was added to the website: 2026-05-01
Line count: 24
Word count: 117