The Christ-child had walked through the forest

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Das Christkind ist durch den Wald...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Das Christkind ist durch den Wald gegangen,
Sein Schleier blieb an den Zweigen hangen,
Da fror er fest in der Winterluft
Und glänzt heut' morgen wie lauter Duft.

Ich gehe still durch des Christkind's Garten,
Im Herzen regt sich ein süß Erwarten:
Ist schon die Erde so reich bedacht,
Was hat es mir da erst mitgebracht!

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Anna Ritter, Gedichte, Neunte Auflage, Stuttgart und Berlin: J.G. Cotta'sche Buchhandlung Nachfolger, 1900, page 103.

Text Authorship:

by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Rauhreif vor Weihnachten", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Vermischte Gedichte, no. 21 [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 Hans Hermann (1870 - 1931), "Rauhreif", published 1899 [ voice and Mason-Hamlin harmonium ], from [Neun] Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Mason-Hamlin-Harmonium, no. 5, Berlin, Koeppen. (Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel.) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-07-06
Line count: 8
Word count: 56

The Christ‑child had walked through the...

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

The Christ-child had walked through the forest,
His veil was caught by the branches,
It then froze fast in the winter air
And this morning it sparkles like pure scent.

I walk quietly through the Christ-child's garden,
In my heart sweet expectation stirs:
If the world is already so richly bedecked with beauty,
How great then must be what [the Christ-child] has brought me!

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of title(s):
"Rauhreif" = "Hoarfrost"
"Rauhreif vor Weihnachten" = "Hoarfrost before Christmas"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Anna (Nuhn) Ritter (1865 - 1921), "Rauhreif vor Weihnachten", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Vermischte Gedichte, no. 21
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-10-17
Line count: 8
Word count: 64