De koning van Thule | Er was in Thule een koning

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Lau Kanen

Melodram und Lied. Faust.

(Sung text for setting by A. Radziwill)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG IRI ITA NOR POR SPA

Es war ein König in Thule
Gar treu bis an das Grab,
Dem sterbend seine Buhle
Einen goldnen Becher gab.

Es ging ihm nichts darüber,
Er leert' ihn jeden Schmaus;
Die Augen gingen ihm über,
So oft er trank daraus.

Und als er kam zu sterben,
Zählt' er seine Städt' im Reich,
Gönnt' alles seinem Erben,
Den Becher nicht zugleich.

Er saß beim Königsmahle,
Die Ritter um ihn her,
Auf hohem Vätersaale,
Dort auf dem Schloß am Meer.

Dort stand der alte Zecher,
Trank letzte Lebensgluth,
Und warf den heil'gen Becher
Hinunter in die Fluth.

Er sah ihn stürzen, trinken,
Und sinken tief ins Meer.
Die Augen täten ihm sinken;
Trank nie einen Tropfen mehr.

Note: the text was first published in a different version in Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, In Musik gesetzt von Siegmund Freyherrn von Seckendorff, Dritte Sammlung. Dessau, 1782, pages 6-9; see below.

See also "Het dartele water bruiselt", a poem by Pol de Mont written to be sung to Schumann's song "Der König von Thule".

Composition:

Antoni Henryk Radziwill, Fürst

Compositionen zu Göthe's Faust

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der König in Thule", written 1774, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I), Margarete's song, first published 1782

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jan Evangelista Nečas) , "Král v Thule"
CZE Czech (Čeština) (Otokar Fischer) , "Král v Thule"
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De koning van Thule", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "There was a King of Thule", copyright ©
ENG English [singable] (Arthur Westbrook) , "The King of Thule"
IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , "Bhí rí ann fadó in Thule", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il re in Tule", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "O rei em Thule", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Diego Gonzales) , copyright © 2020, (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] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 120

De koning van Thule

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Radziwill)

See original

Language: Dutch (Nederlands) after the German (Deutsch)

Er was in Thule een koning,
Getrouw tot aan het graf.
Zijn lief stond, vóór zij doodging,
Hem een gouden beker af.

Voor hem ging niets daarboven,
Hij leegd' hem elke fuif;
Zijn ogen stroomden over,
Zo vaak hij dronk daaruit.

En toen hij kwam te sterven,
Mat hij gans zijn rijksgebied,
Schonk alles aan zijn erven,
Alleen de beker niet.

Hij at de koningsmaaltijd,
Zijn ridders om hem heen;
Zij zagen uit de zaal wijd
Daar in 't kasteel aan zee.

Toen rees de oude drinker,
Hij dronk nog eenmaal goed,
En wierp de heil'ge beker
Beneden in de vloed.

Hij zag hem vallen, buiten
In 't diepe water, neer.
Moest toen zijn ogen sluiten,
dronk nooit een druppel meer.

Text Authorship:

Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2005 by Lau Kanen, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.
Lau Kanen. Contact: boudewijnkanen (AT) gmail (DOT) com

If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der König in Thule", written 1774, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I), Margarete's song, first published 1782
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This text was added to the website: 2005-09-01
Line count: 24
Word count: 121