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by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Am Rhein, am grünen Rheine
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Am Rhein, am grünen Rheine,
Da ist so mild die Nacht,
Die Rebenhügel liegen
In goldner [Mondespracht]1.
 
Und an den Hügeln wandelt
Ein hoher Schatten her
Mit Schwert und Purpurmantel,
Die [Krone]2 von Golde schwer.
 
Das ist der Karl, der Kaiser,
Der mit gewalt'ger Hand
Vor vielen hundert Jahren
Geherrscht im deutschen Land.

Er ist heraufgestiegen
Zu Aachen aus der Gruft
Und segnet seine Reben
Und athmet Traubenduft.

Bei Rüdesheim, da funkelt
Der Mond ins Wasser hinein
Und baut [eine]3 goldne Brücke
Wohl über den grünen Rhein.
 
Der Kaiser geht hinüber
Und schreitet langsam fort,
Und segnet längs dem Strome
Die Reben an jedem Ort.
 
Dann kehrt er heim nach Aachen
Und schläft in seiner Gruft,
Bis ihn im neuen Jahre
Erweckt der [Trauben]4 Duft.
 
Wir aber füllen die Römer
Und trinken im goldnen Saft
Uns deutsches Heldenfeuer 
Und deutsche Heldenkraft.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   J. Blied 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Emanuel von Geibel, Jugendgedichte, Stuttgart, Verlag der J. G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1883, pages 3-4. Modern German spelling would change "athmet" to "atmet", etc. Note: in Kinkel's score, "Rüdesheim" is spelled "Rüdisheim".

Note: A now-lost source, perhaps intending to censor the nationalism of the last two lines, replaced them with "Auf die rheinische Legende/ Und die rheinische Lebenskraft." They may have appeared in a concert program of Kinkel's song, but they do not appear in the score.

1 Blied: "Mondenpracht"
2 Blied: "Kron'"
3 Blied: "'ne"
4 Blied: "Traube"

Text Authorship:

  • by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Rheinsage", appears in Jugendgedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Lübeck und Bonn [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 Jakob Blied (1844 - 1884), "Des Kaisers Segen", op. 27 no. 15, published 1877 [ four-part men's chorus ], from Liederkranz. Lieder-Cyclus für vierstimmigen Männerchor, no. 15, Leipzig, Merseburger [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Max Bruch (1838 - 1920), "Rheinsage", op. 38 (Fünf Lieder für gemischten Chor a capella) no. 4, published 1875 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Onno Gorter , "Rheinsage" [ voice and piano ], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofer's Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858), "Rheinsage", op. 8 (6 Gedichte von E. Geibel) no. 2, published 1838 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Trautwein ; as J. Mathieux [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Benedikt Randhartinger (1802 - 1893), "Rheinsage" [ TTBB chorus and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Gustav Rebling (1821 - 1902), "Rheinsage", op. 12 (Gesänge für Männerchöre), Heft 1 no. 2, published 1850 [ men's chorus ], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen's Verlag [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • ENG English (Anja Bunzel) , "Rhine Legend", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Légende du Rhin", copyright © 2018, (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: 2007-10-04
Line count: 32
Word count: 146

Légende du Rhin
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Près du Rhin, près du Rhin, le fleuve vert,
C'est là que la nuit est si douce !
Les vignobles s'y étendent
Sous la splendeur dorée de la lune.

Et sur les coteaux marche
Une grande ombre,
Avec épée et manteau pourpre,
Lourde couronne d'or.

C'est l'empereur Charles
Qui de sa main puissante
Il y a  plusieurs centaines d'années
Régna sur la terre allemande.

Il s'est relevé
De son caveau d'Aix la Chapelle
Et bénit ses vignes 
Et respire le parfum des raisins.

Au bas de Rüdisheim la lune
Scintille dans les eaux
Et forme un pont d'or
Au-dessus du Rhin, le fleuve vert.

L'empereur le traverse
Et poursuit lentement sa marche,
Et le long du fleuve il bénit
Les vignes en chaque lieu.

Puis il retourne chez lui à Aix la Chapelle
Et s'endort dans son caveau
Jusqu'à ce que l'année suivante
Le parfum des raisins le réveille.

Mais nous, nous remplissons nos verres
Et buvons le jus doré
À la vaillance des héros allemands
À la puissance des héros allemands.

Note: Une source aujourd'hui perdue, pour sans doute censurer le nationalisme des deux derniers vers, les avait remplacés par "À la légende rhénaneè/À la vitalité rhénane.". Il se peut qu'elles soient apparues dans un programme de concert, mais n'apparaissent pas dans la partition.


Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2018 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884), "Rheinsage", appears in Jugendgedichte, in 1. Erstes Buch, in Lübeck und Bonn
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2018-04-29
Line count: 32
Word count: 171

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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