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

A black-bird flies across the world,
singing so sorrowfully of death . . .
Whoever hears it, hears nothing else,
whoever hears it, hears such sadness,
they fear the sun may shine no more.

All thru' the night it rests
on the finger of death.
He caresses the bird solemnly and urges it:
Fly, my little bird! Fly, little bird!
And again it flies soaring over the world.