Who’s riding this late through the night so wild?

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Uri Liebrecht

Erlkönig

(Sung text for setting by A. Harder)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT DUT ENG ENG ENG FIN FRE FRI ITA ITA LIT NOR

Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
 
Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht? -
Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron' und Schweif?
Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif. -
 
»Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Gar schöne Spiele spiel' ich mit dir;
Manch bunte Blumen stehn an dem Strand;
Meine Mutter hat manch' gülden Gewand.«
 
Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht? -
Sey ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind;
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind. -
 
»Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?
Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn,
Und singen und tanzen und spielen dich ein.«
 
Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Port? -
Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh' es genau;
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau. -
 
»Ich lieb' dich, mich reizt dein' schöne Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch' ich Gewalt.« -
Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leides gethan! -
 
Dem Vater grauset's, er reitet geschwind,
Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind,
Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Noth;
In seinen Armen das Kind war todt.

First published in 1782 in Goethe's Singspiel "Die Fischerin" in the introductory scene (Dortchen's song).

Composition:

August Harder

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Erlkönig", written 1782, first published 1782

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
CZE Czech (Čeština) (Otokar Fischer) , "Král duchů"
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Erlkoning", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Walter Meyer) , "Who's riding so late through night, so wild?", copyright © 1995, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Knut W. Barde) , "The Elfking", copyright © 1998, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Walter Scott, Sir) , "The Erl-King"
ENG English (Uri Liebrecht) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le roi des aulnes", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Walter A. Aue) , "Elf-King", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il Re degli Elfi", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Ofer Sheinberg , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 240

Who’s riding this late through the night...

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Harder)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Who’s riding this late through the night so wild?
It is the father with his child;
He holds the boy tightly in his arm,
He’s keeping him warm and safe from harm.

“My son, what’s making you hide your face?”
“Father, don’t you see the Erl King giving chase?
The Erl King with his crown and his train?”
“My son, the mists are forming again.”

“My dear, dear child – come, come with me;
Wonderful games I’ll play with thee!
Many bright flowers grow there on the shore,
My mother’s gold dresses will fill you with awe.”

“Oh, Father, my Father, cannot you hear
What the Erl King is whispering in my ear?”
Hush, my child, now do keep calm,
The wind in the leaves will do you no harm.”

“Now, my fine lad, won’t you come with me?
My daughters will serve you most diligently.
My daughters love dancing the roundelay,
They’ll sing you to sleep at the end of the day.”


“Oh Father, dear Father, can’t you see, over there,
The Erl King’s daughters in the shadows? Beware!”
“My son, my boy, I see perfectly well
The old willow trees glowing grey in the dell.”


“I love you, you enchant me, and now, of course,
Come. If you’re not willing I shall have to use force.”
Oh Father, dear Father, he’s taken hold of me; 
The Erl King has done me a grave injury!


Filled with dread, the father rides on at speed,
The infant now groaning in dire need,
With one last effort they reach the homestead,
But now the child in his arms was dead!

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Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 by Uri Liebrecht, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Uri Liebrecht. Contact: liebrecht (AT) mypostoffice (DOT) co (DOT) uk
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Erlkönig", written 1782, first published 1782
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This text was added to the website: 2016-05-05
Line count: 32
Word count: 269