Where to? | I hear a brooklet rushing

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by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Ich hört' ein Bächlein rauschen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FIN FRE GRE IRI ITA KOR POR

[Ich hört' ein Bächlein]¹ rauschen
Wohl aus dem Felsenquell,
Hinab zum Tale rauschen
So frisch und wunderhell.

Ich weiß nicht, wie mir wurde,
Nicht, wer den Rath mir gab,
Ich mußte [gleich]² hinunter
Mit meinem Wanderstab.

Hinunter und immer weiter,
Und immer dem Bache nach,
Und immer [frischer]³ rauschte,
Und immer heller der Bach.

Ist das denn meine Straße?
O Bächlein, sprich, wohin?
Du hast mit deinem Rauschen
Mir ganz berauscht den Sinn.

Was sag ich denn [von]⁴ Rauschen?
Das kann kein Rauschen sein:
Es singen wohl die Nixen
[Dort]⁵ unten ihren Reihn.

Laß singen, Gesell, laß rauschen,
Und wandre fröhlich nach!
Es gehn ja Mühlenräder
In jedem klaren Bach.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• J. Lang • F. Schubert

J. Lang sets stanza 1

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller. Erstes Bändchen. Zweite Auflage. Deßau 1826. Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, pages 8-9; and with Sieben und siebzig Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller. Dessau, 1821. Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, pages 9-10.

First published in a slightly different version with the title Der Bach in Gaben der Milde. Viertes Bändchen. Mit Beiträgen von [...]. Für die Bücher-Verloosung "zum Vortheil hülfloser Krieger" herausgegeben von F. W. Gubitz. Berlin, 1818, page 215.

¹ Lang: "Ein Bächlein hört' ich"
² Müller (1821 edition), and Schubert: "auch"
³ Müller (1821 edition), and Schubert: "heller"
⁴ Schubert: "vom"
⁵ Müller (1821 edition), and Schubert: "Tief"

Text Authorship:

by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Wohin?", appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 1, in Die schöne Müllerin, no. 3, first published 1818 [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 (Carl) Ludwig (Heinrich) Berger (1777 - 1839), "Des Müllers Wanderlied", op. 11 no. 1, published 1818, from Gesänge aus einem gesellschaftlichen Liederspiele "Die schöne Müllerin", no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Sopran Camillo Engel (1864 - 1902), "Wohin", op. 7 (Neun Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 7, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Budapest, Rózsavölgyi & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl August Heymann-Rheineck (1854 - 1922), "Erinnerung", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1882 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Schlesinger [sung text not yet checked]
by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Der Bach", stanza 1 [ voice and piano ], unpublished, undated, incomplete [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Wohin?", op. 25 no. 2, D 795 no. 2 (1823), from Die schöne Müllerin, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by A. F. Wustrow , "Ich hört' ein Bächlein rauschen ", op. 15 (9 Gesänge) no. 4, published 1835 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Westphal [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, a translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882) , "Whither?", appears in Voices of the Night, first published 1839 ; composed by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, W. H. Bentley, John Blockley, A. H. Cox, Charles John Hargitt, Karl Pomeroy Harrington, John Liptrot Hatton, H. R. Howard, Edward James Loder, Edward Oswald Schaaf, Arthur Octavius Smith, Ogle Wintle.
- Go to the text.

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

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 110

Where to?

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I hear a brooklet rushing
Right out of the rock's spring,
Down there to the valley it rushes,
So fresh and wondrously bright..

I know not, how I felt this,
Nor did I know who gave me advice;
I must go down
With my wanderer's staff.

Down and always farther,
And always the brook follows after;
And always rushing crisply,
And always bright is the brook.

Is this then my road?
O, brooklet, speak! where to?
You have with your rushing
Entirely intoxicated my senses.

But why do I speak of rushing?
That can't really be rushing:
Perhaps the water-nymphs
are singing rounds down there in the deep.

Let it sing, my friend, let it rush,
And wander joyously after!
Mill-wheels turn 
In each clear brook.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Wohin?", appears in Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten 1, in Die schöne Müllerin, no. 3, first published 1818
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 126

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Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.