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Wie schön ist's im Freien! Bei grünenden Maien Im Walde, wie schön! Wie süß sich zu sonnen, Den Städten entronnen, Auf luftigen Höhn! Wo unter den Hecken Mit goldenen Flecken Der Schatten sich mischt, Da läßt man sich nieder, Von Haseln und Flieder Mit Laubduft erfrischt. Drauf schlendert man weiter, Pflückt [Blumen]1 und Kräuter Und Erdbeern im Gehn; Man kann sich mit Zweigen, [Erhizet]2 vom Steigen, Die Wangen umwehn. Dort heben und tunken, Gleich blinkenden Funken, Sich Wellchen im Bach; Man sieht sie verrinnen [In]3 stillem Besinnen, Halb träumend, halb wach. In weiten Bezirken, Mit hangenden Birken Und Buchen besezt, Gehn Damhirsch und Rehe In traulicher Nähe, Von niemand gehezt. Am schwankenden Reisig Hängt zwitschernd der Zeisig, Vor Schlingen nicht bang; Erfreut ihn zu hören, Sucht keiner zu stören Des Hänflings Gesang. Hier sträubt sich kein Pförtner, Hier [schnörkelt]4 kein Gärtner Kunstmäßig am Hain; Man braucht nicht des Geldes; Die Blumen des Feldes Sind allen gemein. Wie schön ist's im Freien! Despoten entweihen Hier nicht die Natur. Kein kriechender Schmeichler, [Kein lästernder]5 Heuchler [Vergiftet]6 die Flur.
F. Schubert sets stanzas 1-4, 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Gedichte von J. G. von Salis. Gesammelt durch seinen Freund Friedrich Matthisson. Zürich, bey Orell, Gessner, Füssli und Compagnie. 1793, pages 58-60; with Gedichte von J. G. von Salis. Neueste Auflage. Wien 1815. Bey B. Ph. Bauer, pages 60-62; and with Musen-Almanach für 1792. Herausgegeben von Joh. Heinr. Voß. Hamburg, bei C. E. Bohn, pages 18-20.
1 Salis-Seewis (Musenalmanach): "Flechten"2 Righini: "Erhitzet"
3 Schubert: "Mit"
4 Salis-Seewis (Musenalmanach): "schnirkelt"
5 Salis-Seewis (Musenalmanach): "Verläumder und"
6 Salis-Seewis (Musenalmanach): "Vergiften"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis-Seewis (1762 - 1834), "Lied im Freien" [author's text checked 2 times 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 Franz Danzi (1763 - 1826), "Wie schön ist's im Freien", op. 17 (Acht deutsche Lieder) no. 3, P 193 no. 3, published 1803 [ chorus and piano ], Leipzig [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincenzo Righini (1756 - 1812), "Lied im Freien", op. 9 (Zwölf deutsche Lieder mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 11, published 1803 [ voice and piano ], from Sammlung deutscher und italienischer Gesänge mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, Heft VI, no. 2, opus 9 published in 1803, Berlin: Johann Friedrich Starke ; also published in the Sammlung of 1807, Leipzig: Bei Ambrosius Kühnel (Bureau de Musique.) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Lied im Freien", D 572 (1817), published 1872, stanzas 1-4,1 [ ttbb quartet ], J. P. Gotthard, VN 318, Wien [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Christian Friedrich Gottlieb Schwenke (1767 - 1822), "Lied im Freien", published 1792, in Musen Almanach für 1792. Hrsg. J. H. Voß. Hamburg: C. E. Bohn [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Xaver Sterkel (1750 - 1817), "Lied im Freien ", 1799 [ voice and piano ], from [Sechs] Lieder für das Klavier oder Piano-Forte, 5te Sammlung, no. 1, Offenbach, Johann André [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó a l'aire lliure", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Lied in de vrije natuur", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Song in the open air", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Song out in the open", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant en plein air", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Lau Kanen [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-09
Line count: 48
Word count: 182
How beautiful it is out in the open. By the May trees as they turn green In the wood, how beautiful! How sweet it is to bask in the sun, To escape from the towns Into the airy heights! There under the hedges where Golden specks Are mixed with the shadows, That is where we lie down And hazel and lilac, Mixed with the scent of leaves, refresh us. Up there we walk on, Picking flowers and herbs And strawberries as we go. You can use branches If you are feeling the heat after climbing In order to fan your cheeks. There they go rising and diving, Like glistening sparks, Those little waves in the brook: You see them trickling away In quiet contemplation, Half dreaming, half awake. In broad regions With hanging birches And beeches everywhere, Different types of deer roam In trusting closeness, Hounded by nobody. On the swaying twigs There are warbling siskins Unafraid of traps; Delighted to hear it, Noone tries to disturb The song of the linnet. No doorman is ruffled here, No gardener here tries to be Too arty with the grove. No money is needed; The flowers of the field Are common to all. How beautiful it is out in the open! Despots do not violate Nature here. No creeping flatterers, No nasty hypocrites Poison this meadow.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2016 by Malcolm Wren, (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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis-Seewis (1762 - 1834), "Lied im Freien"
This text was added to the website: 2016-09-13
Line count: 48
Word count: 224