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Ich armer Fischerbube, Wo soll ich schiffen hin? Mein Nachen ist gar kleine, Gar schüchtern ist mein Sinn. Im hohen Meere draußen Da sind die Wogen groß, Da läßt aus Ost und Westen Der Himmel die Stürme los. Da jagen die Korsaren Nach [jungem]1 Christenblut, Da singen die Sirenen Und locken hinab in die Fluth. Am Ufer sitzt ein Mädchen, Die hat ein Augenpaar, Das droht mit Feuerflammen Mir tödtliche Gefahr. Sie strickt an einem Netze, Will drin mich fangen ein; Ihr Haar hat lange Flechten, Dran soll ich gebunden sein. Du liebliche Sirene, Sirene von dem Strand, Laß deine Stimme tönen Hell über Meer und Land! Tief unten in den Fluthen Da ist ein goldnes Haus, Da ruhen die Ertrunknen In weichen Armen aus. In diesem Liebesmeere Wo wird die Ruhstätt' sein? Entweder an deinem Herzen, Ach! oder im Grabe mein.
Confirmed with Sieben und siebzig Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten, herausgegeben von Wilhelm Müller, Dessau, Bei Christian Georg Ackermann, 1821, pages 132-133. Modernized spelling would require changing "Fluth" to "Flut", "tödtliche" to "tödliche", etc.
1 Marschner: "jungen"Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Doppelte Gefahr " [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 Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Doppelte Gefahr", op. 68 (Sechs Gesänge von Wilhelm Müller für eine Baritonstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 6, published 1831 [ baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Jeffrey Williams) , "Double Danger", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Jeffrey Williams [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2016-06-02
Line count: 32
Word count: 142
I'm a poor fisherman Where should I go? My boat is very small, Quite shy is my sense. Out in the high seas The waves are surging big, That is where from East and West The sky lets loose the storms. Pirates hunt For young Christian blood, Sirens sing And lure down into the flood. On the shore sits a girl, Who has a pair of eyes, Whose fire flames threaten Me with deadly danger. She is knitting a net, Wants to catch me inside; Her hair has long braids I should be bound to it. You sweet siren, Siren from the beach, Let your voice sound Bright over sea and land! Deep down in the waters There is a golden house, That is where the drowned ones Rest in soft arms. In this sea of love Where will the place of rest be? Either in your heart, Alas, or in my grave?
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2021 by Jeffrey Williams, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Müller (1794 - 1827), "Doppelte Gefahr "
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-15
Line count: 32
Word count: 153