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 [Todesgluth]2?
Ach wüßtest du, wie's Fischlein ist
So wohlig auf dem Grund,
Du [stiegst]3 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]4 Blau?
Lockt dich dein eigen Angesicht
Nicht her in [ew'gen]5 Thau?

Das Wasser rauscht', das Wasser schwoll,
Netzt' ihm den nackten Fuß;
Sein Herz wuchs ihm so [sehnsuchtsvoll]6
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.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Erster Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1827, pages 185-186; and with Johann Gottfried Herder's Volkslieder. Nebst untermischten andern Stücken. Zweyter Theil. Leipzig, in der Weygandschen Buchhandlung, 1779, pages 3-4.

First published in Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, In Musik gesetzt von Siegmund Freyherrn von Seckendorff. Weimar, bey Karl Ludolf Hoffmann. 1779, pages 4-5.

Note: The title in Herder's "Volkslieder" is "Das Lied vom Fischer".

¹ First editions (Seckendorff, Herder): "Sie sang zu ihm und sprach zu ihm"; Vesque von Püttlingen: "Sie sprach zu ihm, sie sang zu ihm"
² First editions (Seckendorff, Herder): "Todes Glut"
³ First editions (Seckendorff, Herder): "kämst"
⁴ First editions (Seckendorff, Herder): "feucht verklärte"
⁵ Seckendorff: "ewgem"
⁶ First editions (Seckendorff, Herder): "sehnensvoll"

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 Ludwig 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 against a primary source]
• by Heinrich Karl Breidenstein (1796 - 1876), "Der Fischer", 1834 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Michael Brough (b. 1960), "Der Fischer", op. 5 (Sieben Goethe-Lieder) no. 3 (1992-3) [ voice and piano ] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by A. Crüger (flourished c1832), "Der Fischer", 1832 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Karl Anton Florian Eckert (1820 - 1879), "Der Fischer", 1828 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Robert Emmerich (1836 - 1891), "Der Fischer ", op. 33, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], Hamburg, Schuberth [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Arnold Gassmann , "Der Fischer", published 1875 [ bass or baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765 - 1814), "Der Fischer", c1807 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765 - 1814), "Der Fischer", op. 21 no. 4 [ 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 against a primary source]
• by Camillo (or Kamillo) 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 against a primary source]
• by Heinrich Kafka , "Der Fischer", op. 4, published 1875 [ high voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Friedrich August Kanne (1778 - 1833), "Der Fischer", published 1804 [ voice, guitar, and piano ] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Johann Friedrich Bonneval de La Trobe (1769 - 1845), "Der Fischer", published 1798 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Der Fischer", op. 43 no. 1 (1835) [ 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Friedrich Niggli (1875 - 1959), "Der Fischer", op. 21 no. 1 [ duet for 2 voices with piano ] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Der Fischer", published 1794 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Louis Schlottmann (1826 - 1905), "Der Fischer", op. 44 (10 Goethe'sche Dichtungen) no. 7 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• 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 against a primary source]
• by Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff (1744 - 1785), "Der Fischer", 1779, published 1779 [ voice and piano ], from Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, Erste Sammlung, no. 1, Weimar: Bey Karl Ludolf Hoffmann [ 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 against a primary source]
• by Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn (1811 - 1886), "Der Fischer", published 1832 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Brandenburg [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• 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]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in French (Français), a translation by Albert-Marie Du Boys (1804 - 1889) CAT DUT ENG GRE ITA TUR ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
  • Go to the text.
    

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
• 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 text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Last modified: 2017-07-09 13:56:50
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.
Jjj 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.