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by Stefan Witwicki (1801 - 1847)
Translation Singable translation by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896)

Smutna rzeka
Language: Polish (Polski) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Rzeko z cudzoziemców strony,
Czemu nurt twój tak zmącony?
Czy się gdzie zapadły brzegi,
Czy stopniały stare, stare śniegi?

Leżą w górach stare śniegi,
Kwiatem kwitną moje brzegi,
Ale tam, przy źródle moim,
Płacze matka nad mym zdrojem.

Siedem córek piastowała,
Siedem córek zakopała,
Siedem córek śród ogrodu,
Głowami przeciwko wschodu, wschodu.

Teraz się z duchami wita,
O wygody dziatki pyta
I mogiły ich polewa,
I żałośne pieśni śpiewa.

Text Authorship:

  • by Stefan Witwicki (1801 - 1847) [author's text not yet checked 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 Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849), "Smutna rzeka", op. 74 no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Henzen (1850 - 1910) , "Trübe Wellen" ; composed by Paul Hoppe.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Doleful river", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Triste rivière", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Ferdinand Gumbert) , "Trübe Wellen"
  • GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Georg Friedrich Reiß) , "Trübe Wellen"


Research team for this page: Gerhard Dangel , Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2003-12-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 69

Trübe Wellen
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Polish (Polski) 
Kommst von fern daher gezogen, Quell;
so trüb' sind deine Wogen, 
schmolz der Schnee zu wilden Güssen,
hat die Ufer dir zerissen, zerissen?

Wohl ist Schnee auf Bergeshöhen,
Blumen viel an Ufern stehen,
doch wo rein und klar die Welle,
sitzt ein Weib an meiner Quelle.

Sieben Töchterlein geboren,
sieben Töchterlein verloren;
unter duft'gen Lenzesgaben
hat die Mutter sie begraben, begraben

Tag und nacht in Gram und Sehnen, 
weint und weint sie heisse Tränen,
weint und weint in meine Quelle,
trübe wird die klare Welle.

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896), "Trübe Wellen" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Polish (Polski) by Stefan Witwicki (1801 - 1847)
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-12-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 85

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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