Es zog ein Sänger heiter
Language: German (Deutsch)
Es zog ein Sänger heiter
Ins ferne Land hinein,
Die Zitther zum Geleiter,
Zu Freunden Lieb' und Wein.
Der Holden zu gefallen,
Die einst sein Arm umschloß,
Ließ er der Heimath Hallen,
Und sucht' ihr fernes Schloß.
Sich reisend zu erlaben,
Bewahrt' er im Gewand
An Gold und andern Gaben,
Was Glück ihm zugewandt.
Schon nah' dem süßen Ziele,
Führt ihn die rauhe Bahn
In banger Mittagsschwüle
Den schroffen Berg hinan.
Aus schwarzem Abgrund toben
Gewässer dumpf herauf,
Und Felsen starren oben,
Beengend seinen Lauf.
Von Liebe fortgezogen,
Erklimmt er das Gestein,
Doch in des Strudels Wogen
Stürzt all sein Gold hinein.
Er hat den Berg erstiegen,
Und singt mit frohen Muth:
"Mag Gold im Abgrund liegen,
Die Zitther ist mein Gut!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Gedichte von Fridr. Baron de la Motte-Fouqué, Neueste Auflage, Wien: Bey B. Ph. Bauer, 1816, pages 88-89
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2015-11-25
Line count: 28
Word count: 122
A minstrel travelled merrily
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
A minstrel travelled merrily
Into the distant land,
His zither as companion,
As friends, love and wine.
To please the lovely one
Whom once his arm encircled,
He left the halls of his homeland
And sought her distant castle.
To refresh himself on the journey,
He safeguarded in his garments
Gold and other gifts
That fortune hat granted him.
Already near the sweet goal,
His rugged path led him
In the anxious humidity of noontide
Up a steep mountain.
From the black chasm
Waters rage upward with a dull sound,
And above rocky cliffs stare,
Confining his passage.
Carried onward by love
He scales the rock,
But into the waves of the torrent
All his gold falls.
He has reached the summit of the mountain,
And sings with joyful spirit:
"May my gold lie in the chasm,
The zither is my fortune!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Translated titles:
"Des Sängers Lohn" = "The minstrel's reward"
"Es zog ein Sänger heiter" = "A minstrel travelled merrily"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 by Sharon Krebs, (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. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2015-11-25
Line count: 28
Word count: 142
