by Friedrich von Schlegel (1772 - 1829)
Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Die Gebüsche
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE
Es wehet kühl und leise
Die Luft durch dunkle Auen,
Und nur der Himmel lächelt
Aus tausend hellen Augen.
Es regt nur Eine Seele
Sich in [der Meere]1 Brausen,
Und in den leisen Worten,
Die durch die Blätter rauschen.
So tönt in Welle Welle,
Wo Geister heimlich trauren;
So folgen Worte Worten,
Wo Geister Leben hauchen.
Durch alle Töne tönet
Im bunten Erdentraume
[Ein]2 leiser Ton gezogen,
Für den, der heimlich lauschet.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   F. Schubert 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Musen-Almanach für das Jahr 1802. Herausgegeben von A. W. Schlegel und L. Tieck. Tübingen, in der Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1802, page 156; and with Friedrich Schlegel's sämmtliche Werke. Erster Band. Gedichte. Berlin, bei Julius Eduard Hitzig, 1809, page 33.

1 Schubert: "des Meeres"
2 Schubert: "Ein, nur ein"

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Els matossars", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De bosjes", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "The undergrowth", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Les buissons", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 74

The undergrowth
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
There is a cool and gentle movement
In the air going across the dark meadows,
And only the sky smiles
From a thousand bright eyes.
Only a single soul is stirring
In the roaring of the sea,
And in the gentle words
Which are rustling through the leaves.
Thus wave echoes wave
Where spirits grieve in secret;
Thus words follow words,
Where spirits breathe life.
Resounding amongst all the notes
In the colourful dreams of earth,
A single faint note rings out
For the person who is secretly paying attention.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 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: 

Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2018-08-24
Line count: 16
Word count: 90