Do you know the land where citrons bloom

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Mignon

(Sung text for setting by G. Spontini)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT CAT DUT ENG ENG FRE GRE HUN ITA ITA NOR

Kennst du das Land? wo die Citronen blühn,
Im dunkeln Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn,
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht, 
Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht,
Kennst du es wohl?
                   Dahin! Dahin
Möcht' ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn.

Kennst du das Haus? Auf Säulen ruht sein Dach,
Es glänzt der Saal, es schimmert das Gemach,
Und Marmorbilder stehn und sehn mich an:
Was hat man Dir, du armes Kind, gethan?
Kennst du es wohl? 
                   Dahin! Dahin
Möcht' ich mit dir, o mein Beschützer, ziehn.

Kennst du den Berg und seinen Wolkensteg?
Das Maulthier sucht im Nebel seinen Weg;
In Höhlen wohnt der Drachen alte Brut;
Es stürzt der Fels und über ihn die Flut.
Kennst du ihn wohl?
                    Dahin! Dahin
Geht unser Weg! o Vater, laß uns ziehn!
Dahin mit dir, möcht' ich mit dir,
O mein Geliebter, ziehn,
Dahin mit dir, möcht' ich mit dir,
O mein Beschützer, ziehn,
O Vater, dahin geht unser Weg,
O Vater laß uns ziehn,
Mit dir dahin, dahin mit dir!

See also the following poems inspired by this poem: the French poem Mignon and the German poem Kennst du das Land, wo über Grabes Nächte.

Note: modern German would employ the following spellings: "gethan" -> "getan", "Maulthier" -> "Maultier", etc.

Composition:

Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Mignon", written 1784, appears in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, first published 1795

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Ken je het land?", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Walter Meyer) , "Knowest thou where?", copyright © 1996, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff) , "Mignon", first published 1907
ENG English [singable] (Charles Fonteyn Manney) , "Mignon's song", first published 1911
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , copyright © 2016
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Connais-tu le pays où les citronniers fleurissent", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
HUN Hungarian (Magyar) (Tamás Rédey) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Conosci tu il paese", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Montanari) , "Conosci il paese", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2023, (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: 21
Word count: 137

Do you know the land where citrons bloom

(Sung text translation for setting by G. Spontini)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Do you know the land where citrons bloom,
Golden oranges glow among dark leaves,
A gentle wind blows from the blue sky,
The myrtle is still, and the laurel stands tall?
Do you know it well?
    It is there! - there
That I would go with you, my beloved.

Do you know the house? Its roof rests on pillars.
Its hall is resplendent, its chambers shine;
And marble statues stand and watch me:
What have they done to you, poor child?
Do you know it well?
    It is there! - there
That I would go with you, my protector.

Do you know the mountain and its cloud-covered ridge?
The mule searches for its path in the mist;
In caverns dwell the ancient spawn of dragons;
Rocks tumble down, and over them, a rush of water!
Do you know it well?
    It is there! - there
That our path leads us! Oh Father, let us depart.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 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 Archive
For 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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Mignon", written 1784, appears in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, first published 1795
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This text was added to the website: 2016-02-11
Line count: 21
Word count: 152