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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Lau Kanen

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

Scène uit 'Faust' ("Wie anders, Gretchen, was dir's")
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Boze geest:
 Hoe anders, Greetje, was het,
 Toen je nog vol onschuld
 Hier naar 't altaar kwam,
 Uit je versleten kerkboekje
 Gebedjes opzei,
 Half kinderspelen,
 Half God in 't hartje!
 Greetje! 
 Waar is je hoofd?
 In jouw lief hartje, 
 Wat voor kwaad zit daar?
 Ga je soms voor je moeder bidden,
 Die door jou in lange, 
 Lange pijn haar einde vond?
 Van wie ligt bloed er bij jouw deur?
 - En dicht onder jouw hartje
 Roert zich niet trillend iets
 Dat jou en zich beangst
 Daar 't dreigingsvol aanwezig is?
 
Greetje:
 Wee, wee!
 Was ik de gedachten kwijt
 Die mij door 't hoofd heen spoken en zich keren
 tegen mij!
 
Koor:
 Dies irae, dies illa,
 Solvet saeclum in favilla,
 
Boze geest:
 Toorn grijpt je!
 De bazuin weerklinkt!
 De graven beven!
 En jouw hart, 
 Uit asserust
 Om vuur te voelen 
 Weer omhooggeholpen,
 Het beeft!
 
Greetje:
 Was ik hier weg!
 Het is alsof het orgel mij
 De adem deed stokken,
 't Gezang mijn hart
 Van binnen lossneed.
 
Koor:
 Judex ergo cum sedebit,
 Quidquid latet adparebit,
 Nil inultum remanebit.
 
Greetje:
 Ik word benauwd!
 De kerkpilaren bedreigen mij!
 Het gewelf beklemt me - Lucht!
 
Boze geest:
 Verberg je! Zond' en schande
 Blijft niet verborgen.
 Lucht? Licht? 
 Kom nou toch!
 
Koor:
 Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
 Quem patronum rogaturus?
 Cum vix justus sit securus.
 
Boze geest:
 Hun ogen wenden
 De zaal'gen van je af.
 De handen jou te reiken
 Schrikt af de reinen.
 Wee!
 
Koor:
 Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?
 Quem patronum rogaturus?
 
Greetje:
 Buurvrouw! Je flesje! --

(Zij valt in zwijm)

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2009 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), 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: 2009-03-22
Line count: 72
Word count: 255

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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