Bei dem Glanz der Abendröthe
Ging ich still den Wald entlang,
Damon saß und blies die Flöte,
Daß es von den Felsen klang,
So la la! . . .

Und er zog mich [zu]1 sich nieder,
Küßte mich so [hold, so]2 süß.
Und ich sagte: blase wieder!
Und der gute Junge blies,
So la la! . . .

Meine [Ruh]3 ist nun verloren,
Meine Freude floh davon,
Und ich [hör']4 vor meinen Ohren
Immer nur den alten Ton,
So la la, le ralla! . . .

View original text (without footnotes)
Confirmed with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sämmtliche Werke, Volume 1, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J. G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1854, p. 5.

¹ Medtner: "an"
² Medtner: "hold und"
³ Medtner: "Ruhe"
⁴ Medtner: "höre"

Authorship

• by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Die Bekehrte", written 1796, first published 1797 [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 Rudolf Artaria (1812 - 1836), "Die Bekehrte", op. 7 (Vier Lieder für Sopran mit Pianoforte) no. 3, published 1891 [ soprano and piano ], Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
• by Francis Edward Bache (1833 - 1858), "Die Bekehrte", op. 16 (Six songs) no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ignaz Brüll (1846 - 1907), "Die Bekehrte", op. 87 (Zwei Lieder) no. 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ferruccio Busoni (1866 - 1924), "Die Bekehrte", 1921 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Georg Gerson (1790 - 1825), "Die Bekehrte", G. 147 (1818) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Pietari Juhani Hannikainen (1854 - 1924), "Die Bekehrte", 1899 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by (Leopold) Heinrich (Picot de Peccaduc), Freiherr von Herzogenberg (1843 - 1900), "Die Bekehrte", op. 57 (Sechs Gesänge für gemischten Chor a capella) no. 2, published 1889 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
• by Konrad Heubner (1860 - 1905), "Die Bekehrte", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder von Goethe für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 2, published 1883 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alexis Holländer (1840 - 1924), "Die Bekehrte ", op. 6 (Sechs Lieder im Volkston, für mittlere Stimme ) no. 3, published 1864 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alexis Holländer (1840 - 1924), "Die Bekehrte", published 1887 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Ippisch (1883 - 1958), "Die Bekehrte", subtitle: "Lied der Schäferin", 1903 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gustav Jansen [not F. G. Jansen] , "Die Bekehrte", published 1863 [ voice and piano ], from Musikalisches Göthe-Album. Eine Sammlung Göthescher Lieder, no. 8, Berlin, Mendel  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Armin Knab (1881 - 1951), "Die Bekehrte", 1924-46 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Lieder nach Gedichten von J. W. von Goethe, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Die Bekehrte", op. 18 no. 2 (1908-9), from Sechs Gedichte von Goethe, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by (Karl) August Schuster (1807 - 1877), "Die Bekehrte ", op. 3 (Sechs Lieder für vier Männerstimmen ohne Begleitung ) no. 2, published 1831 [ vocal quartet of male voices a cappella ], Leipzig, Probst [sung text not yet checked]
• by Max Stange (1856 - 1932), "Die Bekehrte", op. 13 (Zwei Lieder im Volkston für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1886 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Raabe & Plothow [sung text not yet checked]
• by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Die Bekehrte", op. 54 (Gedichte von Goethe: II) no. 3 (1815?) [sung text not yet checked]
• by Wladimir Rudolfowitsch Vogel (1896 - 1984), "Die Bekehrte", VWV. 12 (1920), published 1966 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Friedrich Robert Volkmann (1815 - 1883), "Die Bekehrte", op. 54, published 1890 [ low voice and piano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
• by Kurt Weill (1900 - 1950), "Die Bekehrte", 1921 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Die Bekehrte", 1889, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 27, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Die Bekehrte", 1807 [sung text not yet checked]

This text (or a part of it) is used in a work

• by Lenhuk , "Die Spröde und die Bekehrte", published <<1815 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Gedichte von Goethe und Schiller, no. 9
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Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title ; composed by Edward Alexander MacDowell.
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• Also set in German (Deutsch), [adaptation] ; composed by Domenico Cimarosa.
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• Also set in Polish (Polski), a translation by Kazimierz Brodziński (1791 - 1835) , "Nawrocóna" ; composed by Stanisław Moniuszko.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "The woman converted", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English [singable] (Paul England) , no title
• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Convertie", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) [an adaptation]
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La convertita", copyright © 2013, (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: 15
Word count: 86

In the woods at eve I wandered,
Through the sunset's crimson light,
In the woods, in the woods at eve,
There sat Damon playing softly
On the flute for my delight;
So, la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la!

Ah he swore he loved me truly,
Begged me would I love him, too,
And bewitched me with his music,
As it thrilled the forest through;
So la la la la la la la la la la la ia la la la la la la!

Now my heart n'er ceases longing
For a lover proven false, proven false, proven false,
And that cruel, haunting music,
Still my restless soul enthralls.
So, la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la!