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Das Wasser rauscht', das Wasser schwoll, Ein Fischer saß daran, Sah nach dem Angel ruhevoll, Kühl bis ans Herz hinan. Und wie er sitzt und wie er lauscht, Theilt sich die Fluth empor; Aus dem bewegten Wasser rauscht Ein feuchtes Weib hervor. [Sie sang zu ihm, sie sprach zu ihm]1: Was lockst du meine Brut Mit Menschenwitz und Menschenlist [Hinauf in]2 Todesgluth? Ach wüßtest du, wie's Fischlein ist So wohlig auf dem Grund, Du stiegst herunter wie du bist Und würdest erst gesund. Labt sich die liebe Sonne nicht, Der Mond sich nicht im Meer? Kehrt wellenathmend ihr Gesicht Nicht doppelt schöner her? Lockt dich der tiefe Himmel nicht, Das feuchtverklärte Blau? Lockt dich dein eigen Angesicht Nicht her in ew'gen Thau? Das Wasser rauscht', das Wasser schwoll, Netzt' ihm den nackten Fuß; Sein Herz wuchs ihm so sehnsuchtsvoll Wie bei der Liebsten Gruß. Sie sprach zu ihm, sie sang zu ihm; Da war's um ihn geschehn: Halb zog sie ihn, halb sank er hin, Und ward nicht mehr gesehn.
F. Hensel sets stanza 1
Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Erster Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1827, pages 185-186.
Note: the Eberwein score has a likely misprint in stanza 1, line 8, word 4: "empor".
1 Vesque von Püttlingen: "Sie sprach zu ihm, sie sang zu ihm"2 Eberwein: "Herauf zu"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der Fischer", written 1778?, first published 1779 [author's text checked 2 times 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 (Carl) Ludwig (Heinrich) Berger (1777 - 1839), "Der Fischer ", op. 17 no. 7, published 1825 [ voice and piano ], from Neun deutsche Lieder mit Begleitung des Pianoforte, no. 7, Berlin: bei Fr. Laue [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Karl Breidenstein (1796 - 1876), "Der Fischer", 1834 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael Brough (b. 1960), "Der Fischer", op. 5 (Sieben Goethe-Lieder) no. 3 (1992-3) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by August Leopold Crelle (1780 - 1855), "Der Fischer", op. 3 (Zehn Gesänge am Fortepiano) no. 5 (1813/4), published 1867 [sung text not yet checked]
- by A. Crüger (flourished c1832), "Der Fischer", 1832 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Karl) Friedrich Curschmann (1805 - 1841), "Der Fischer", op. 4 (Sechs Gedichte) no. 3 (1832), published 1832 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Trautwein [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862 - 1921), "Der Fischer", op. 1 (Drie ballades) no. 2 (1884), published 1885 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Anton Franz Joseph Eberl (1765 - 1807), "Der Fischer" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max (Traugott Maximillian) Eberwein (1775 - 1831), "Der Fischer" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Anton Florian Eckert (1820 - 1879), "Der Fischer", 1828 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Emmerich (1836 - 1891), "Der Fischer ", op. 33, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Schuberth [sung text not yet checked]
- by H. W. Ernst , "Der Fischer" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arnold Gassmann , "Der Fischer", published 1875 [ bass or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Moritz Hauptmann (1792 - 1868), "Der Fischer", op. 31 (Drei Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte- und Violin-Begleitung ) no. 3, published 1844 [ voice, violin, and piano ], Leipzig, Peters [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "Der Fischer", H-U 85, stanza 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765 - 1814), "Der Fischer", op. 21 no. 4 (c1807) [ voice and piano or guitar ], from Sechs Lieder von Göthe mit Begleitung des Pianoforte oder der Guitarre, no. 4, Leipzig: A. Kühnel (Bureau de Musique) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Camillo Horn (1860 - 1941), "Der Fischer", op. 38 (Drei Gedichte mit begleitender Musik (Klavier)) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Joh. Chr. Jusdorf , "Der Fischer" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Kafka , "Der Fischer", op. 4, published 1875 [ high voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda (1801 - 1866), "Der Fischer" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Friedrich August Kanne (1778 - 1833), "Der Fischer", published 1804 [ voice, guitar, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by M. J. Kremer , "Der Fischer" [ voice and piano ], from Ausgewählte Lieder, no. 2, self-published, no date ; note: each song has a title page showing "M. J. Kremer" as the composer, but at the top of each song, it says "J. N. Kremer"  [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Bonneval de La Trobe (1769 - 1845), "Der Fischer", published 1798 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Huub de Lange (b. 1955), "Der Fischer", published 2008 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from 5 Liedchen von Liebe und Tod, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Der Fischer", op. 43 no. 1 (1835) [ voice and piano ], from 3 Balladen, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Carl Ludwig Amand Mangold (1813 - 1889), "Der Fischer", op. 15, published 1840 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Darmstadt, Pabst [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Methfessel (1771 - 1807), "Der Fischer ", op. 6 (Kleine Romanzen und Lieder für die Guitarre) no. 1, published 1805 [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Moltke (1783 - 1831), "Der Fischer", published [c1816/7] [ voice, piano, and guitar ], from Acht Lieder mit Begleitung des Pianoforte und der Guitarre, no. 5, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Béla Nemes Hegyi , "Der Fischer", op. 8 (Sieben Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], Budapest, Rózsavölgyi & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sigismund von Neukomm (1778 - 1858), "Der Fischer", published [c1826] [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte , no. 3, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Niggli (1875 - 1959), "Der Fischer", op. 21 no. 1 [ duet for 2 voices with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Der Fischer", published 1794 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798 - 1859), "Der Fischer", op. 48 (Deutsche Lieder von W. v. Göthe für eine Sopran- oder Tenorstimme ) no. 2, published [1827?] [ soprano or tenor and piano ], Berlin: Bei Fr. Laue [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joseph (Gabriel) Rheinberger (1839 - 1901), "Der Fischer", op. 2 (Fünf Lieder und Gesänge für gemischten Chor) no. 2, published 1867 [ mixed chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Andreas Jakob Romberg (1767 - 1821), "Der Fischer ", published 1793 [ voice and piano ], from Oden und Lieder fürs Clavier , no. 11, Bonn: Gestochen und zu haben bey Georg Welsch, Hofmusikus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cláudio Franco de Sá Santoro (1919 - 1989), "Der Fischer", 1984 [ voice and organ (or piano, or strings and harp) ], title in Portuguese: "O pescador" [sung text not yet checked]
- by G. Scheller , "Der Fischer", op. 60 (Drei Gesänge für Bariton mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1878 [ baritone and piano ], Hamburg, Hentze [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Schlottmann (1826 - 1905), "Der Fischer", op. 44 (10 Goethe'sche Dichtungen) no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Schreiber (1781 - 1857), "Der Fischer", published 1804 [ voice and piano ], from Sechzehn Lieder von Göthe, Mahlmann, Matthesius, A. W. Schlegel, C. Schreiber u. a. mit Begleitung des Pianoforte von C. Schreiber, no. 10, Leipzig: Bei Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Der Fischer", op. 5 (Fünf Lieder) no. 3, D 225 (1815), published 1821 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Der Fischer", WoO. 19 (1828) [ voice and piano ], from Elf Jugendlieder, no. 6, published 1933 by Regensburg, Bosse as a "notenbeilage" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans August Friedrich Zincke genannt Sommer (1837 - 1922), "Der Fischer" [ voice and orchestra ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949), "Der Fischer", WoO. 33 (1877) [ voice and piano ], in Jugendlieder [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Der Fischer", op. 59 (Gedichte von Goethe: VII) no. 3 (1815?) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn (1811 - 1886), "Der Fischer", published 1832 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Brandenburg [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Der Fischer", 1865 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Der Fischer", op. 3 no. 3 (1875) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Der Fischer", 1809 [sung text checked 1 time]
Set in a modified version by Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff.
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Albert-Marie Du Boys (1804 - 1889) ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El pescador", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Karel Dostál-Lutinov) , "Rybář", first published 1917
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De visser", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The fisherman", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le pêcheur", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , "Ο ψαράς", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il pescatore", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- TUR Turkish (Türkçe) (Gül Sabar) , "Balıkçı", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 170
Het water bruist', het water zwol, Een visser zat daaraan, Keek naar de hengel aandachtsvol, Koel als een indiaan. Terwijl hij zit, terwijl hij loert, Splijt 'n vloedgolf in een boog: Het kolkend wilde water voert Een natte vrouw omhoog. Zij zong hem toe, zij sprak tot hem: "Waarom lok je mijn kroost, met mensenlist naar 'n wisse dood en laat mij zonder troost? Ach, wist je maar hoe 't visje leeft, In 't donk're diep zo fijn. Jij daalde af, zowaar je leeft, En zou gelukkig zijn. Is 't niet in zee dat de zon zich baadt, Doet ook de maan dat niet? Komt dubbel mooi niet hun gelaat Dan terug in 't verschiet? Lokt jou die diepe hemel niet, Het waterklare blauw? Lokt jouw gezicht, dat je hier ziet, Je niet naar eeuw'ge dauw?" Het water bruist', het water zwol, Likte zijn blote voet. Zijn hart liep met verlangen vol Als bij een liefdesgroet. Zij sprak tot hem, zij zong tot hem; Toen was 't met hem gedaan. Half trok zij hem, half zonk hij weg Nooit kwam hij daar vandaan.
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2005 by Lau Kanen, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.
Lau Kanen.  Contact: boudewijnkanen (AT) gmail (DOT) com
If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der Fischer", written 1778?, first published 1779
This text was added to the website: 2005-09-01
Line count: 32
Word count: 183