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Allein, nachdenklich, wie gelähmt vom Krampfe, Durchmess' ich öde Felder, schleichend träge, Und wend' umher den Blick, zu fliehn die [Stege]1, Wo eine Menschenspur den Sand nur stampfe. Nicht andre Schutzwehr find' ich mir im Kampfe Vor dem Erspähn des Volks in alle Wege, Weil man im Thun, wo keine Freude rege, Von außen lieset, wie ich innen dampfe. So daß ich glaube jetzt, Berg und Gefilde, Und Fluß und Waldung weiß, aus welchen Stoffen Mein Leben sey, das sich verhehlt jedweden. Doch find' ich nicht so rauhe Weg' und wilde, Daß nicht der Liebesgott mich stets getroffen, Und führt mit mir, und ich mit ihm dann Reden.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Blumensträusse italiänischer, spanischer und portugiesischer Poesie von August Wilhelm Schlegel. Berlin. In der Realschulbuchhandlung. 1804, page 22.
1 Schubert: "Wege"Text Authorship:
- by August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767 - 1845), "Sonett XI" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 35
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 Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Sonett II", D 629 (1818), published 1895 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , copyright © 2022, (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: 2003-11-07
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Alone, reflecting, as if made lame by cramp, I tread across barren fields, creeping sluggishly, And I turn my gaze away in order to escape the paths Where any trace of a human being has touched the sand. I can find no other form of defence in the battle Against people catching sight of me on all the paths, Since from my actions, in which there is a lack of joy, They can see from outside how I am boiling within. So much so that I now believe the mountains and fields, Rivers and woods all know what stuff My life is made up of, though it is hidden from others. Yet I have not found any path so uneven and wild Where I have not always come across the god of love, Who has engaged me in conversation, and I with him.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Sonett II" = "Sonnet II"
"Sonett XI" = "Sonnet XI"
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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767 - 1845), "Sonett XI"
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Francesco Petrarca (1304 - 1374), no title, appears in Canzoniere (Rerum vulgarium fragmenta) , in 1. Rime In vita di Madonna Laura, no. 35
This text was added to the website: 2018-10-22
Line count: 14
Word count: 143