Ein schwarzes Vöglein fliegt über die Welt,
das singt so todestraurig...
[Wer es hört, der hört nichts anderes mehr,]1
wer es hört, der tut sich ein Leides an,
der mag [keine Sonne]2 mehr schauen.
Allmitternacht ruht es [sich]3 aus
auf [dem Finger]4 des Tods.
Der [streichelt's leis]5 und spricht ihm zu:
"Flieg, mein [Vögelein!]6 flieg, mein [Vögelein!]6"
[Und wieder fliegt's flötend]7 über die Welt.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ omitted by Petersen.
² Zeisl: "die Sonne nicht"
³ omitted by Wolff
⁴ Zemlinsky: "den Fingern"
⁵ Zeisl: "streichelt es"
⁶ Zemlinsky: "Vögelchen!"
⁷ Wolff: "Und wieder fliegt's Vögelein"; Zeisl: "Vögelein Schwermut fliegt"

Text Authorship:

• by Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914), "Vöglein Schwermut", appears in Auf vielen Wegen, in Vom Tagwerk des Todes [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Clemens von Franckenstein (1875 - 1942), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 46 (Vier Lieder) no. 2, published c1926 [ voice and piano ], Wien: Universal-Edition A. G. [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans Gál (1890 - 1987), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 33 (Fünf Lieder) no. 3 (1917), published 1929 [ medium voice and piano ], N, Simrock, Berlin [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Harald Genzmer (1909 - 2007), "Vöglein Schwermut", 1940-87 [ baritone or soprano and piano ], from Acht Lieder nach verschiedenen Dichtern [sung text not yet checked]
• by Heinz Holliger (b. 1939), "Vöglein Schwermut", 1956/7, rev. 2003 [ soprano and piano or orchestra ], from Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Christian Morgenstern, no. 4, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
• by Yrjö Henrik Kilpinen (1892 - 1959), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 62 no. 1 (1928), from Lieder um den Tod, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Wilhelm Petersen (1890 - 1957), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 41 (Vier Lieder) no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Hans Heinz Scholtys (1900 - 1945), "Vöglein Schwermut" [ voice and piano ], from 94 Lieder, no. 33 [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Richard Gustav) Heinz Tiessen (1887 - 1971), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 23 no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ernest Vietor (flourished 1905-1930), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 5 (Five Songs) no. 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Karl Weigl (1881 - 1949), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 26 (2 Frauenchöre a cappella) no. 1 (1918-9), published 1933 [ four-part women's chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Felix Paul Weingartner (1863 - 1942), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 39 no. 2 (1906) [sung text not yet checked]
• by Erich J. Wolff (1874 - 1913), "Vöglein Schwermut", Lieder no. 16, published 1914 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Stefan Wolpe (1902 - 1972), "Vöglein Schwermut", 1920 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Erich Zeisl (1905 - 1959), "Vöglein Schwermut", 1929 [ alto and piano ], unpublished [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942), "Vöglein Schwermut", op. 10 (Sechs Lieder und Gesänge) no. 3 (1901?), from Ehetanzlied und andere Gesänge, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (John H. Campbell) , "Melancholy bird", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Mélancolie du petit oiseau", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 73