Sie konnte mir kein Wörtchen sagen,
Zu viele Lauscher waren wach,
Den Blick nur durft ich schüchtern fragen,
Und wohl verstand ich, was er sprach.
Leis [komm']1 ich her in deine Stille,
Du schön belaubtes [Buchenzelt]2,
Verbirg in deiner grünen Hülle
Die Liebenden dem Aug' der Welt!

Von ferne mit verworrnem Sausen
Arbeitet der geschäft'ge Tag,
Und durch der Stimmen hohles Brausen
Erkenn' ich schwerer Hämmer Schlag.
So sauer ringt die kargen Loose
Der Mensch dem harten Himmel ab,
Doch leicht erworben, aus dem Schooße
Der Götter fällt das Glück herab.

Daß ja die Menschen nie es hören,
Wie treue Lieb' uns still beglückt!
Sie können nur die Freude stöhren,
Weil Freude nie sie [selbst entzückt]3.
Die Welt wird nie das Glück erlauben,
Als Beute [wird es nur]4 gehascht,
Entwenden mußt du's oder rauben,
Eh [dich die Mißgunst]5 überrascht.

Leis auf den Zähen kommt's geschlichen,
Die Stille liebt es und die Nacht,
Mit schnellen Füßen ist's entwichen,
Wo des Verräthers Auge wacht.
O schlinge dich, du sanfte Quelle,
Ein breiter Strom um uns herum,
Und drohend mit empörter Welle
Vertheidige dieß Heiligthum.

E. Schmezer sets stanzas 1, 3, 4

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Friederich Schiller, Erster Theil, Leipzig, 1800, bey Siegfried Lebrecht Crusius, pages 15-16; and with Musen-Almanach für das Jahr 1798. herausgegeben von Schiller. Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaischen Buchhandlung, pages 299-300.

¹ Schiller (Musenalmanach): "schleich"
² Schubert (D. 250, Neue Gesamtausgabe): "Buchengrün"
³ Schmezer: "selbst, nie entzückt"
⁴ Schubert (D. 793): "nur wird es"
⁵ Schmezer: "die Mißgunst uns"

See also Zelter's Im Garten which uses some pieces from this poem.

Text Authorship:

• by Friedrich von Schiller (1759 - 1805), "Das Geheimniß", written 1797, first published 1798 [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 (Karl) Friedrich Curschmann (1805 - 1841), "Das Geheimnis", op. 4 (Sechs Gedichte) no. 4 (1832), published 1832 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Trautwein [sung text not yet checked]
• by Carl Friedrich Johann Girschner (1794 - 1860), "Das Geheimnis ", published 1838 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder, no. 1, Berlin, Ende [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Xaver Mozart (1791 - 1844), "Das Geheimniss", 1810 [ voice and piano ], from Acht Deutsche Lieder, no. 8, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Max von Schillings (1868 - 1933), "Das Geheimnis", op. 13 (Fünf Lieder) no. 5 (1901/2) [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
• by Elise Schmezer (1810 - 1856), "Das Geheimnis", op. 7 (Lieder, Romanzen und Balladen, Viertes Heft der Gesänge) no. 2, published c1850, stanzas 1,3,4 [ high voice and piano ], Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Hans Heinz Scholtys (1900 - 1945), "Das Geheimnis" [ voice and piano ], from 94 Lieder, no. 61 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Das Geheimnis", D 250 (1815), published 1872 [ voice, piano ], first setting [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Das Geheimnis", op. posth. 173 (Sechs Lieder) no. 2, D 793 (1823), published 1867 [ voice, piano ], second setting [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Xaver Sterkel (1750 - 1817), "Das Geheimnis", StWV 67 no. 2 [ voice and piano ], from [Drei] Gesänge mit Begleitung des Piano-Forte, 15e Sammlung, no. 2, Leipzig: bey Breitkopf & Härtel, No. 535 [sung text not yet checked]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El secret", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De geheime schuilplaats", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , no title, copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le secret", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Ulrich Eisenlohr , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 182

She couldn't even say the smallest word to me,
Too many listeners were paying attention;
I could only shyly question her look,
And I clearly understood what that was saying.
I have come here softly into your silence,
You beautifully leaved tent of beech trees,
In your green covering, hide
The lovers from the eyes of the world!

From afar, with a confused roar,
Busy day is at work,
And within the noises of hollow roaring
I recognise the beating of heavy hammers.
Wrestling their meagre lot is so bitter
For humans taking on the harsh will of heaven;
However, easily won, from the lap
Of the gods happiness descends on us.

Let us hope that other people will never hear
How secretly happy we are made by devoted love!
They can only disturb the joy
Since they have never been delighted by joy themselves.
The world will never permit happiness,
It will just be hunted as prey,
You will have to steal it or commit robbery,
Before you are overtaken by envy.

It slips in gently on tiptoe,
It loves quietness and the night,
It runs off on quick feet,
Wherever a traitor's eye is keeping watch.
Oh gentle fountain, throw out
A wide stream around us,
And threatening with rising waves,
Defend this sanctuary.