Reflection | A fisherman is waiting on the bridge

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by Franz Xaver Freiherr von Schlechta (1796 - 1875)

Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Widerschein

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA

[Harrt ein Fischer]¹ auf der Brücke
Die Geliebte säumt,
Schmollend taucht er seine Blicke
In den Bach - und träumt.

Doch die lauscht im nahen Flieder,
Und ihr Bildchen strahlt
Jetzt aus klaren Wellen [wieder]²,
Treuer nie gemahlt.

[Und der Fischer kennt die Bänder]³,
Kennt den süssen Schein:
Und er hält sich am Geländer
Sonst - zieht's ihn hinein!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Schubert

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Dichtungen vom Freyherrn Franz von Schlechta. Erster Band. Wien, 1824. Im v. Hirschfeld'schen Verlage, page 90.

Note: This is the second version of Schlechta's poem, published 1824 in his collected poems. When Schubert created his second version of Widerschein in 1828, he received a modified text from Schlechta, based on this text, but with a different first line, which Schlechta kept in his third and substantially modified version, published in 1876. For the first and the third version of Schlechta's text see below.

Note: in the repetition, Schubert reverts stanza 3, line 1 back to the original first line, "Und der Fischer kennt die Bänder".

¹ Schubert: "Tom lehnt harrend"
² Schubert: "wider"
³ Schubert: "Und er sieht's! Und er kennt die Bänder"

Text Authorship:

by Franz Xaver Freiherr von Schlechta (1796 - 1875), "Widerschein" [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 Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Widerschein", D 949 (1828), published 1832 [ voice, piano ], A.Diabelli & Co., VN 4015, Wien (Nachlaß-Lieferung 15). note: D. 949 has been removed and included as the second version in D. 639 [sung text checked 1 time]

Set in a modified version by Franz Peter Schubert.

Go to the text. [ view differences ] CAT DUT ENG FRE

Another version of this text exists in the database.

Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG

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

ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Pupillo) (Claretta Manara) , "Riflessi", copyright ©, (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: 12
Word count: 57

Reflection

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

A fisherman is waiting on the bridge
His beloved is late,
In a sulk he drowns his gaze
In the brook - and starts dreaming.

However, she is listening in the nearby lilacs,
And her dear image is shining
Now, reflected in the clear waves,
Never more faithfully painted.

And the fisherman recognises the ribbons,
Recognises the sweet reflection:
And he holds onto the railings,
Otherwise he would be pulled in!

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 Franz Xaver Freiherr von Schlechta (1796 - 1875), "Widerschein"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-10-30
Line count: 12
Word count: 70