by Heinrich Hüttenbrenner (1799 - 1830)
Translation © by Malcolm Wren

Wehmut
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG FRE
Die Abendglocke tönet,
Vom Himmel sinkt die Ruh;
Das Auge grambetränet
Nur schließet sich nicht zu.

Daß meine Jugend fliehet
Allein und ungeliebt,
Daß jeder Kranz verblühet,
Das ist, was mich betrübt.

Und als ich sie gefunden,
War Herz und Welt nur Lust,
Und seit sie mir entschwunden,
Ist Atmen ein Verlust.

Der Strom aus Felsen quillend,
Die Berge lieben nicht;
Nur's arme Herz, das fühlend,
So leicht von Kummer bricht.

O töne, sanft Geläute,
In's stille Tal [hinaus]1,
Der Morgen deckt das Heute,
Den Gram das Grabeshaus.

View original text (without footnotes)

Note: Schubert received Hüttenbrenner's poem in handwritten form. It has not been published independently from Schubert's song.

1 Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "hinab"

Text Authorship:

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

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Melangia", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Verdriet", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "Melancholy", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Mélancolie", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 90

Melancholy
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
The evening chimes are ringing out,
Calm is descending from heaven;
My eyes are full of tears caused by grief
And they will not close now.

The fact that my youth is escaping
Alone and unloved,
The fact that every wreath is wilting
That is what is disturbing me.

And when I found her,
My heart and the world were nothing but delight,
And since she has gone from me
Breathing has been a waste of energy.

The stream that swells up out of the rocks
Is not something that the mountains love;
It is just my poor, feeling heart
That breaks so easily because of sorrow.

Oh ring out, gentle bells,
Into the quiet valley.
Tomorrow covers today,
The tomb covers grief.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2019 by Malcolm Wren, (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:

 

This text was added to the website: 2019-11-19
Line count: 20
Word count: 123