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by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Du bist gestorben und weißt es nicht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Du bist gestorben und weißt es nicht,
erloschen ist dein Augenlicht,
erblichen ist dein rotes Mündchen,
und du bist tot, mein totes Kindchen.

In einer schaurigen Sommernacht
hab ich dich selber zu Grabe gebracht;
Klaglieder die Nachtigallen sangen,
die Sterne sind mit zur Leiche gegangen.

Der Zug, der zog den Wald vorbei,
dort widerhallt die Litanei;
die Tannen, in Trauermänteln vermummet,
sie haben Totengebete gebrummet.

Am Weidensee vorüber gings,
die Elfen tanzten inmitten des Rings;
sie blieben plötzlich stehn und schienen
uns anzuschaun mit Beileidsmienen.

Und als wir kamen zu deinem Grab,
da stieg der Mond vom himmel herab.
Er hielt eine Rede. Ein Schluchzen und Stöhnen,
und in der Ferne die Glocken tönen.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Altes Lied", appears in Romanzero, in 2. Zweites Buch, in Lamentationen, no. 13 [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 W. Armbrust , "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis" [ voice and piano ], Annecke [sung text not yet checked]
  • by L. Bakody , "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", op. 54 (Lieder) no. 1 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg: August Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Jan Conradus Boers (1812 - 1896), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", published 1859 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Heinrich Cassimir (1873 - 1946), "Du bist gestorben und weißt es nicht", from Lieder und Gesänge, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl A. Drobegg (1824 - 1911), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängniss", op. 14 (Fünf Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte), Heft 2 no. 5, published 1873 [ voice and piano ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Farber (b. 1945), "Altes Lied", 2014 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wilhelm Fischer , "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis" [ mezzo-soprano or tenor and piano ], from Lieder-Sammlung, no. 6, Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Altes Lied", op. 39 (Sechs Lieder von Heinrich Heine) no. 6 (1867?), published 1867 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Anthony Philip Heinrich (1781 - 1861), "Du bist gestorben", note: two settings - incomplete, rough sketches [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Johann Herbeck (1831 - 1877), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", 1851 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Hol (1825 - 1904), "Altes Lied" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by August Horn (1825 - 1893), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", op. 40, published 1874 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner  [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Franz Paul Lachner (1803 - 1890), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Gottfried Linder (1842 - 1918), "Altes Lied", published 1875 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder, no. 1, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ernst Julius Otto (1804 - 1877), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis" [ voice and piano ], Schuberth, from Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Eduard Rommel , "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", op. 3 [ baritone and piano ], Niemeyer [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Henrik Rung (1807 - 1871), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis" [ voice and piano ], from Vier Lieder, no. 2, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Friedrich Ernst, Graf Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (1837 - 1915), "Du bist gestorben und weißt es nicht" [ voice and piano ], Adolph Fürstner, from Lieder, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Friedrich Wilhelm Sering (1822 - 1901), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängnis", op. 24 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Körner [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Moritz Weyermann (1832 - 1888), "Der Liebe Leichenbegängniss", op. 5 (Fünf Gesänge) no. 3 [ voice and piano ], Frankfurt am Main, Th. Henkel [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , copyright © 2022, (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: 20
Word count: 114

You have died and know it not
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
You have died and know it not,
Extinguished is the light of your eyes,
Your small rosy mouth has turned pale,
And you are dead -- my dead child.

On a terrible summer night
I brought you to the grave myself;
Nightingales sang a dirge,
The stars departed along with the body.

The procession led past the forest,
Where echoes of the litany resounded;
The pines, shrouded in cloaks of mourning,
Murmured prayers for the dead.

It passed the pond in the pasture,
Where elves danced within a ring;
They suddenly stopped and seemed
To stare at us with sympathetic expressions.

And when we arrived at your grave,
The moon descended from heaven.
He spoke the eulogy. There was weeping and lamenting
And, in the distance, bells tolled.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2022 by Michael P Rosewall, (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 Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), "Altes Lied", appears in Romanzero, in 2. Zweites Buch, in Lamentationen, no. 13
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2022-07-12
Line count: 20
Word count: 127

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