The autumn evening | The echo of evening bells shivers

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by Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis-Seewis (1762 - 1834)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Der Herbstabend

Language: German (Deutsch)

Available translation(s): CAT DUT ENG ENG FRE

Abendglocken-Halle zittern
[Dumpf durch]¹ Moorgedüfte hin;
Hinter jenes Kirchhofs Gittern
Blaßt des Dämmerlichts Karmin.

Aus umstürmten Lindenzweigen
Rieselt welkes Laub herab,
Und gebleichte Gräser beugen
Sich auf ihr bestimmtes Grab.

Freundin! wankt, im Abendwinde,
Bald auch Gras auf meiner Gruft,
Schwärmt das Laub um ihre Linde
Ruhelos in feuchter Luft,

[Wenn]² schon meine Rasenstelle
Nur dein welker Kranz noch ziert,
Und auf Lethes leiser Welle
Sich mein Nebelbild verliert:

Lausche dann! Im Blätterschauer
Wird es dir vernehmlich wehn:
Jenseits schwindet jede Trauer;
Treue wird sich wiedersehn!

F. Schubert sets stanzas 1-3

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von J. G. von Salis. Gesammelt durch seinen Freund Friedrich Matthisson. Zürich, bey Orell, Gessner, Füssli und Compagnie. 1793, pages 33-34; with Gedichte von J.G. von Salis. Neue Auflage. Zürich, bey Orell Füßli und Compagnie. 1808, pages 94-95; and with Gedichte von J. G. von Salis. Neueste Auflage. Wien 1815. Bey B. Ph. Bauer, pages 87-88.

¹ Schubert (second version only): "Durch die"
² Righini, Salis (1808 edition): "Wann"

Authorship:

by Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis-Seewis (1762 - 1834), "Der Herbstabend", subtitle: "An sie", written 1787-92 [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 Peter Joseph Lindpaintner (1791 - 1856), "Der Herbstabend", published c1815 [ voice and guitar or piano ], from Zwölf Lieder, no. 12 [sung text not yet checked]
by Vincenzo Righini (1756 - 1812), "Der Herbstabend", subtitle: "An Sie", op. 9 (Zwölf deutsche Lieder mit Begleitung des Pianoforte) no. 10, published 1803 [ voice and piano ], from Sammlung deutscher und italienischer Gesänge mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, Heft VI, no. 3, opus 9 published in 1803, Berlin: Johann Friedrich Starcke ; also included in the Sammlung published in 1807, Leipzig: Bei Ambrosius Kühnel (Bureau de Musique.) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Der Herbstabend", D 405 (1816), published 1895, stanzas 1-3 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Der Herbstabend", op. 8 (Balladen, Romanzen und Lieder) no. 2 (1831?) [sung text not yet checked]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El capvespre de tardor", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De herfstavond", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The autumn evening", copyright ©
ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "The autumn evening", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le soir d'automne", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this text: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 86

The autumn evening

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The echo of evening bells shivers
dully through the boggy breeze;
behind that churchyard lattice
the dusky carmine light pales.

From the branches of storm-tossed lindens
fall dried-up leaves,
and pale grass bows
over her clearly-marked grave.






When my grassy plot is already
graced by your faded wreath,
and on Lethe's gentle waves
my misty image is lost:

Then listen! In the shower of blossoms
the wind will blow audibly:
on the other side, every sadness disappears;
truly we will see each other again!

Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Gaudenz Freiherr von Salis-Seewis (1762 - 1834), "Der Herbstabend", subtitle: "An sie", written 1787-92

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 84