Vorüber die stöhnende Klage!
Elisiums Freudengelage
Ersäufen jegliches Ach -
Elisiums Leben
Ewige Wonne, ewiges Schweben,
Durch lachende Fluren ein flötender Bach.

Jugendlich milde
Beschwebt die Gefilde
Ewiger May,
Die Stunden [entfliehen]1 in goldenen Träumen,
Die Seele schwillt aus in unendlichen Räumen,
Wahrheit reißt hier den Schleier entzwei.

Unendliche Freude
Durchwallet das Herz.
Hier mangelt der Name dem trauernden Leide,
[Sanfter]2 Entzücken nur heißet [hier]3 Schmerz.

Hier strecket der wallende Pilger die matten
Brennenden Glieder im säuselnden Schatten,
Leget die Bürde auf ewig dahin -
Seine Sichel entfällt hier dem Schnitter,
Eingesungen von Harfengezitter,
Träumt er geschnittene Halme zu sehn.

Dessen Fahne Donnerstürme wallte,
Dessen Ohren Mordgebrüll umhallte,
Berge bebten unter dessen Donnergang,
Schläft hier linde bei des Baches Rieseln,
Der wie Silber spielet über Kieseln,
Ihm verhallet wilder Speere Klang.

Hier umarmen sich getreue Gatten,
Küssen sich auf grünen sammt'nen Matten
Liebgekost vom [Balsamwest]4,
Ihre Krone findet hier die Liebe,
Sicher vor des Todes strengem Hiebe,
Feiert sie ein ewig Hochzeitfest.

F. Schubert sets stanza 3 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
F. Schubert sets stanza 3 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
F. Schubert sets stanza 4 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
F. Schubert sets stanza 5 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
F. Schubert sets stanza 6 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
F. Schubert sets stanza 1 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Friederich Schiller. Zweiter Theil. Zweite, verbesserte und vermehrte Auflage. Leipzig, 1805. Siegfried Lebrecht Crusius, pages 151-153.

First published in Anthologie auf das Jahr 1782, anonymously edited by Schiller with the fake publishing information "Gedrukt in der Buchdrukerei zu Tobolsko", actually published by Johann Benedict Metzler in Stuttgart. The poem (pages 196-198) has the subtitle "Eine Kantate" and "M." as the author's name.

¹ Schubert: "entflieh'n"
² Schiller (Wien 1810 edition), and Schubert: "Sanftes"
³ Schubert: "man"
⁴ Schubert (D.60): "Balsam West"; Schubert (D.584): "Balsam-West"

Text Authorship:

• by Friedrich von Schiller (1759 - 1805), "Elisium", written <<1781 [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 Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Unendliche Freude durchwallet das Herz", D 51 (1813), published 1897, stanza 3 [ vocal trio for 2 tenors and bass ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Unendliche Freude durchwallet das Herz", D 54 (1813), published 1873, stanza 3 [ vocal trio for 3 male voices ], canon [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Hier strecket der wallende Pilger", D 57 (1813), published 1897, stanza 4 [ vocal trio for 2 tenors and bass ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Dessen Fahne Donnerstürme wallte", D 58 (1813), published 1892, stanza 5 [ vocal trio for 2 tenors and bass ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Elysium", D 584 (1817), published 1830 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Hier umarmen sich getreue Gatten", D 60 (1813), published 1892, stanza 6 [ vocal trio for 2 tenors and bass ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Vorüber die stöhnende Klage", D 53 (1813), published 1892, stanza 1 [ vocal trio for 2 tenors and bass ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Elysium", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Elysium", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Les champs Élysées", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Elisio", copyright © 2005, (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: 34
Word count: 160

Past is the groaning lament!
Elysium's joyous feasts
drown every woe.
Elysium's life:
eternal bliss, eternal floating -
a whistling brook flowing through laughing fields.

Youthful, mild,
animating the fields,
is eternal May;
the hours fly in golden dreams,
the spirit swells in unending space.
Here, truth rips the veil in two.

Unending joy
fills the heart.
Here the name of mournful sorrow is missing;
mere gentle delight is called pain.

Here the wandering pilgrim stretches
his weak, burning limbs in rustling shade,
lays his burden down for eternity -
The Reaper drops his scythe,
sung to sleep by the sound of the harp,
dreaming that he sees cut grass about.

He whose flag withstood thunderous attack,
he whose ears echoed from murderous roars,
mountains trembling under their thunder -
he sleeps here gently by the trickling brook,
which runs like silver, playfully over the pebbles;
only an echo remains of those wild spears clanging.

Here embrace faithful couples,
kissing each other on the smooth green turf,
lovingly caressed by the balsam winds of the west;
Love here finds a crown to wear,
safe from the severe blows of death,
celebrating an eternal wedding feast.