Backward glance | A fire burns under the soles of my feet

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by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827)

Translation © by Arthur Rishi

Rückblick

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: AFR CAT CHI DUT ENG ENG FIN FRE FRI HEB ITA KOR LIT SPA

Es brennt mir unter beiden Sohlen,
Tret' ich auch schon auf Eis und Schnee.
Ich möcht' nicht wieder Athem holen,
Bis ich nicht mehr die Thürme seh'.

Hab' mich an [jedem]¹ Stein gestoßen,
So eilt' ich zu der Stadt hinaus;
Die Krähen warfen Bäll' und Schloßen
Auf meinen Hut von jedem Haus.

Wie anders hast du mich empfangen,
Du Stadt der Unbeständigkeit!
An deinen blanken Fenstern sangen
Die Lerch' und Nachtigall im Streit.

Die runden Lindenbäume blühten,
Die klaren Rinnen rauschten hell,
Und ach, zwei Mädchenaugen glühten! -
Da war's geschehn um dich, Gesell!

Kömmt mir der Tag in die Gedanken,
Möcht' ich noch einmal rückwärts sehn,
Möcht' ich zurücke wieder wanken,
Vor ihrem Hause stille stehn.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Schubert

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller. Zweites Bändchen. Deßau 1824. Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, pages 89-90; and with Urania. Taschenbuch auf das Jahr 1823. Neue Folge, fünfter Jahrgang. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. 1823, page 218.

First published in Urania (see above) as no. 8 of Wanderlieder von Wilhelm Müller. Die Winterreise. In 12 Liedern.

¹ Schubert (autograph): "jeden"

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Rückblick", written 1821-22, appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 2, in Die Winterreise, no. 9, first published 1823 [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 Reiner Bredemeyer (1929 - 1995), "Rückblick", 1984, first performed 1985 [ baritone, horn, and piano ], from Die Winterreise, no. 9, VEB Deutscher Verlag [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Rückblick", op. 89 no. 8, D 911 no. 8 (1827), published 1828 [ voice and piano ], from Winterreise, no. 8, Haslinger [sung text checked 1 time]
by Johannes (Hans) Wolfgang Zender (b. 1936), "Rückblick", 1993 [ tenor and small orchestra ], from Schuberts Winterreise, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]

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

Research team for this page: Ofer Sheinberg , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 116

Backward glance

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A fire burns under the soles of my feet,
Though I walk on ice and snow;
Yet I'll not pause for a breath
Until the towers are out of sight.

I have stumbled on every stone,
So hastily did I leave the town;
The crows threw snowballs and hailstones
at my hat from every house.

How differently did you welcome me,
You town of infidelity!
At your bright windows sang
The lark and the nightingale in competition.

The round linden trees were blooming,
The clear streams rushed by,
And, ah, two maiden eyes were glowing, -
Then you were done for, my friend.

When that day comes into my thoughts
I wish to glance back once more,
I wish I could stumble back
And stand in silence before her house.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Arthur Rishi, (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 Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Rückblick", written 1821-22, appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 2, in Die Winterreise, no. 9, first published 1823
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 129