by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation by Knud Lyne Rahbek (1760 - 1830)
Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand
Language: German (Deutsch)
Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand, Gebückt in sich und unbekannt; Es war ein herzigs Veilchen. [Da]1 kam [eine]2 junge Schäferin Mit leichtem [Schritt]3 und muntrem Sinn Daher, daher, Die Wiese her, und sang. Ach! denkt das Veilchen, wär ich nur Die schönste Blume der Natur, Ach, nur ein kleines Weilchen, Bis mich das Liebchen abgepflückt Und an dem Busen matt gedrückt! Ach nur, ach nur Ein Viertelstündchen lang! Ach! aber ach! das Mädchen kam Und nicht in Acht das Veilchen nahm, [Ertrat]4 das arme Veilchen. Es sank und starb und freut' sich noch: Und sterb' ich denn, so sterb' ich doch Durch sie, durch sie, Zu ihren Füßen doch.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note for Stanza 1, line 5: "muntrem" is often modernized to "munterm"
1 omitted by Štěpán.2 Mozart: " ein' "
3 Medtner: "Tritt"
4 Kunzen: "Zertrat"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Das Veilchen", appears in Erwin und Elmire [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 Johann André (1741 - 1799), "Das Veilchen", 1774 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anna Amalia, Herzogin von Sachsen-Weimar (1739 - 1807), "Das Veilchen", 1776 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Algernon Bennet Langton Ashton (1859 - 1937), "Das Veilchen", op. 92 (Sieben Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Hofbauer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Wilhelm Heydenreich , "Das Veilchen" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765 - 1814), "Das Veilchen", c1807 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765 - 1814), "Das Veilchen", op. 21 no. 5 [ voice and piano or guitar ], from Sechs Lieder von Göthe mit Begleitung des Pianoforte oder der Guitarre, no. 5, Leipzig: A. Kühnel (Bureau de Musique) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Philipp Christoph Kayser (1755 - 1823), "Romanze", 1776 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Ludwig Æmelius Kunzen (1761 - 1817), "Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand" [ voice and piano or organ ], from Weisen und lyrische Gesänge, no. 36 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Peter Joseph Lindpaintner (1791 - 1856), "Das Veilchen", published c1815 [ voice and guitar or piano ], from Zwölf Lieder, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Das Veilchen", op. 18 no. 5 (1908-9), from Sechs Gedichte von Goethe, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791), "Das Veilchen", K. 476 (1785) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Aus Erwin und Elmire", published 1780 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Das Veilchen", published 1788 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798 - 1859), "Das Veilchen ", op. 48 (Deutsche Lieder von W. v. Göthe für eine Sopran- oder Tenorstimme ) no. 4, published [1827?] [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin: Bei Fr. Laue [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Rosenberg (b. 1862), "Das Veilchen", op. 1 (Fünf Duette für Sopran und Alt mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 5, published 1888 [ vocal duet for soprano and alto with piano ], Leipzig, W. Hansen [sung text not yet checked]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Aus Erwin und Elmire", op. 25 no. 5, published 1919 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896), "Das Veilchen", 1853 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Anton Schweitzer (1735 - 1787), "Aus Erwin und Elmire", published 1777 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff (1744 - 1785), "Das Veilchen", alternate title: "Romanze", published 1779 [ voice and piano ], from Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, Erste Sammlung, no. 6, Weimar: Bey Karl Ludolf Hoffmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josef Antonín Štěpán (1726 - 1797), "Das Veilchen auf der Wiese", published 1778-9 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Das Veilchen", op. 57 (Gedichte von Goethe: V) no. 1 (1815?) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alexander Winterberger (1834 - 1914), "Das Veilchen", op. 26 (Zwei Lieder für 1 Sopran- oder Tenorstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1875 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (1779 - 1850) , "Violen", first published <<1861 ; composed by Halfdan Kjerulf.
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Knud Lyne Rahbek (1760 - 1830) , "Romance", subtitle: "Efter Göthe", appears in Lyriske Digte ; composed by Friedrich Ludwig Æmelius Kunzen.
- Also set in English, a translation by George Birdseye (1844 - 1919) ; composed by Clara Kathleen Rogers.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Armand Silvestre (1837 - 1901) ; composed by Benjamin Louis Paul Godard.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation possibly by Ludvig Borgström (1788 - 1862); composed by Johan Erik Nordblom.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Het viooltje", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Walter Meyer) , "A violet stood upon the lea", copyright © 1996, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English [singable] (Leon Malinofsky) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La violette", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "La violetta", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , "Fiolen", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "Una pequeña violeta vivía sobre la pradera", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 21
Word count: 110
En Natfiol så ydmyg stod
Language: Danish (Dansk) after the German (Deutsch)
En [Natfiol så ydmyg]1 stod Ukjendt ved [andre]2 Blomsters Fod, Og man den agted ikke! En ung Hyrdinde kom [derhid]3, Med [flygtigt Fied, af Sind så blid, Derhid]4, Ad Engen [hid]5, og sang. Violen sukked': [Var jeg kun Så smuk, kun halv så smuk, som hun! O kun så smuk, som Rosen!]6 Til hun mig havde plukt, og kyst, Og ladt mig visne på sit Bryst, Ak kun En liden, liden Stund. Men ak! Hyrdinden kom derhen, Og så den ei, og trådde den, Den Arme! under Fødder! Den segned, døde, glædde sig; [Froe døer jeg, thi]7 jeg døer ved dig; Ved dig [Og]8 for din Fod [jeg]9 døer.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Poetiske forsøg, første Deel, anden Udgave, Kjøbenhavn: Joh. Fr. Schultz, 1803, pages 163 - 164. Appears in Lyriske Digte.
1 Kunzen: "Martsviol beskeden"2 Kunzen: "stolte"
3 Kunzen: "derhen"
4 Kunzen: "lystigt Sind og munter Gang, / Derhen"
5 Kunzen: "hen"
6 Kunzen: "Hvo der var / Den skjönnest' Blomst Naturen har, / ak! kun få Øjeblikke;"
7 Kunzen: "Jeg døer med Glæde, da"
8 Kunzen: "dog"
Text Authorship:
- by Knud Lyne Rahbek (1760 - 1830), "Romance", subtitle: "Efter Göthe", appears in Lyriske Digte [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Das Veilchen", appears in Erwin und Elmire
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Friedrich Ludwig Æmelius Kunzen (1761 - 1817), "Romance efter Göthe", published [1786] [ voice and piano ], from Viser og lyriske Sange, satte i musik af Federik Ludevig Æmilius Kunzen, no. 3, Kjøbenhavn: August Friderich Stein [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull
This text was added to the website: 2020-02-03
Line count: 21
Word count: 109