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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Salvador Pila

Wie anders, Gretchen, war dir's
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG ITA
Dom. Amt, Orgel und Gesang. Gretchen unter
vielem Volke. Böser Geist hinter Gretchen.
 
Böser Geist
 Wie anders, Gretchen, war dir's,
 Als du noch voll Unschuld
 [Hier]1 zum Altar trat'st,
 Aus dem vergriffnen Büchelchen
 Gebete lalltest,
 Halb Kinderspiele,
 Halb Gott im Herzen!
 Gretchen!
 Wo steht dein Kopf?
 In deinem Herzen,
 Welche Missethat?
 Bet'st du für deiner Mutter Seele, die
 Durch dich zur langen, langen Pein hinüberschlief?
 Auf deiner Schwelle wessen Blut?
 - Und unter deinem Herzen
 Regt sich's nicht quillend schon,
 Und [ängstet]2 dich und sich
 Mit ahnungsvoller Gegenwart?

Gretchen
 Weh! Weh!
 Wär' ich der Gedanken los,
 Die mir herüber und hinüber gehen
 Wider mich!

Chor
 Dies irae, dies illa
 Solvet saeclum in favilla.

Böser Geist
 Grimm faßt dich!
 Die Posaune tönt!
 Die Gräber beben!
 Und dein Herz,
 Aus Aschenruh'
 Zu Flammenqualen
 Wieder [aufgeschaffen]3,
 Bebt auf!

Gretchen
 Wär' ich hier weg!
 Mir ist als ob die Orgel mir
 Den Athem versetzte,
 Gesang mein Herz
 Im Tiefsten lös'te.

Chor
 Judex ergo cum sedebit,
 Quidquid latet adparebit,
 Nil inultum remanebit.

Gretchen
 Mir wird so [eng]4!
 Die [Mauern-Pfeiler]5
 Befangen mich!
 Das Gewölbe
 Drängt mich! - Luft!

Böser Geist
 Verbirg dich! Sünd' und [Schande]6
 Bleibt nicht verborgen.
 Luft? Licht?
 [Weh]7 dir!

Chor
 Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
 Quem patronum rogaturus?
 Cum vix justus sit securus.

Böser Geist
 Ihr Antlitz wenden
 Verklärte von dir ab.
 Die Hände dir zu reichen,
 [Schauert's]8 den Reinen.
 Weh!

Chor
 Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
[ 
Gretchen
 Nachbarin! Euer Fläschchen! --
 
Sie fällt in Ohnmacht.]9

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   R. Schumann 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Zwölfter Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1828, pages 199-201, and with Faust. Eine Tragödie von Goethe, Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1808, pages 252-255.

1 Schumann: "Her"
2 Schubert: "ängstigt"
3 Schubert: "aufgeschreckt"
4 Schubert: "bang"
5 Schubert: "Mauerpfeiler"
6 Schumann: "Schand'"
7 Schubert: "Wehe"
8 Schubert (2nd version only): "Schaudert's"
9 Schubert: "Quem patronum rogaturus?"

Text Authorship:

  • by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I), first published 1808 [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 Conradin Kreutzer (1780 - 1849), "Dom. Amt, Orgel un Gesang", 1820 [ soli, chorus, and piano ], from Gesänge aus Goethe's Faust, no. 22, an edition from 1836 is mentioned by Hofmeister, published Wien, Trentsensky [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Szene aus Faust", D 126 (1814), published 1832 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Scene im Dom (Gretchen, Böser Geist)", 1844-53, published 1858 [ solo voices, chorus and orchestra ], from Szenen aus Goethes Faust, no. 3, Berlin, Friedländer [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Scène uit 'Faust' ("Wie anders, Gretchen, was dir's")", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (T. P. (Peter) Perrin) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Henri Blaze de Bury) , first published 1859
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Come tutto era diverso, Gretchen", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 75
Word count: 252

Gretchen, quina diferència
Language: Catalan (Català)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Catedral. Missa cantada amb orgue. Gretchen entre
la congregació. L’esperit maligne al seu darrere.

L’esperit maligne:
Gretchen, quina diferència
de quan tu, encara plena d’innocència,
anaves a l’altar
i d’aquest gastat missal
balbotejaves pregàries,
a meitat entre un joc d’infants
i Déu al teu cor!
Gretchen!
On tens el cap?
En el teu cor,
quin pecat amagues?
Pregues per l’ànima de la teva mare
que per culpa teva, després de llargs, llargs sofriments,
s’adormí per sempre?
De qui és la sang al teu llindar?
I dessota el teu cor
no es belluga i creix alguna cosa
que us angoixa a tu i a ella
amb una presència plena de pressentiments?

Gretchen:
Ai de mi! Ai de mi!
Si em pogués alliberar dels pensaments
que d’aquí i d’allà
m’assetgen!

Cor:
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla.

L’esperit maligne:
El furor t’aferra!
Sonen les trompetes! 
Tremolen els sepulcres!
I el teu cor,
del repòs de les cendres,
creat de nou
per al turment de les flames,
s’estremeix!

Gretchen:
Si pogués ser lluny d’aquí!
És com si el so de l’orgue
em fes aturar l’alè
i el cant em trenqués
el fons del meu cor.

Cor:
Judex ergo cum sedebit,
Quidquid latet adparebit,
Nil inultum remanebit.

Gretchen:
Tot m’oprimeix!
Les columnes 
m’empresonen!
la volta em prem! – Aire!

L’esperit maligne:
T’amagues? El pecat i la deshonra
no es poden ocultar.
Aire? Llum?
Pobra de tu!

Cor:
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
Quem patronum rogaturus?
Cum vix justus sit securus.

L’esperit maligne:
Els benaventurats
et giren els ulls.
I donar-te la mà
fa estremir els justos.
Ai de tu!

Cor:
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

Gretchen:
Veïna! El vostre flascó de les sals! ---

(Ella cau desmaiada)

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of title(s):
"Dom. Amt, Orgel un Gesang" = "Catedral, missa cantada amb orgue"
"Szene aus Faust" = "Escena de Faust"
"Scene im Dom (Gretchen, Böser Geist)" = "Escena a la catedral (Gretchen, Esperit maligne)"


Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2019 by Salvador Pila, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), no title, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I), first published 1808
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2019-06-02
Line count: 74
Word count: 284

Gentle Reminder

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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