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by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835)
Translation by Heinrich Julius Heintze (1811 - 1860)

Facts from Fairyland
Language: English 
Wouldst thou know of me
Where our dwellings be?
'T is under this hill,
Where the moonbeam chill
Silvers the leaf and brightens the blade, --
'Tis under this mound
Of greenest ground,
That our crystal palaces are made.

Wouldst thou know of me
What our food may be?
'T is the sweetest breath
Which the bright flower hath,
That blossoms in wilderness afar, --
And we sip it up,
In a harebell cup,
By the winking light of the tweering star.

Wouldst thou know of me
What our drink may be?
'T is the freshest dew,
And the clearest, too,
That ever hung on leaf or flower;
And merry we skink
That wholesome drink,
Thorough the quiet of the midnight hour.

Wouldst thou know of me,
What our pastimes be?
'T is the hunt and halloo,
The dim greenwood through;
O, bravely we prance it with hound and horn,
O'er moor and fell,
And hollow dell,
Till the notes of our Woodcraft wake the morn.

Wouldst thou know of me
What our garments be?
'T is the viewless thread,
Which the gossamers spread
As they float in the cool of a summer eve bright,
And the down of the rose,
Form doublet and hose
For our Squires of Dames on each festal night.

Wouldst thou know of me
When our revelries be?
'T is in the still night,
When the moonshine white
Glitters in glory o'er land and sea,
That, with nimble foot,
To tabor and flute,
We whirl with our loves round yon glad old tree.

Text Authorship:

  • by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835), "Facts from Fairyland", subtitle: "'O then, I see. Queen Mab hath been with you!'", appears in Poems Narrative and Lyrical, Third Edition, Boston: William D. Ticknor & Company, first published 1844 [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):

    [ None yet in the database ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Heinrich Julius Heintze (1811 - 1860) , "Kunde aus dem Feenlande", appears in William Motherwell's und Robert Tannahill's Gedichte, first published 1841 ; composed by Heinrich August Marschner.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2012-04-09
Line count: 48
Word count: 256

Kunde aus dem Feenlande
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
      O, hat dich denn die Königin Mab besucht?
       --- Shakespear. [sic]

  Ich soll dir gesteh'n,
  Wo wohnen die Fee'n?
  In der grünen Hald',
  Wo der Mondstrahl kalt
Die Blätter versilbert, die Halm' umwebt;
  Unterm Hügel im Wald
  Ist ihr Aufenthalt,
Und dort ihr krystallner Palast sich erhebt.

  Ich soll dir gesteh'n,
  Was speisen die Fee'n?
  Die würzige Luft,
  Den Blumenduft,
Der weht durch die herrliche Wildniß fern:
  Hyacinthen entsprießt,
  Was die Fee genießt
Beim funkelnden Lichte der zitternden Stern'.

  Ich soll dir gesteh'n,
  Was trinken die Fee'n?
  Den frischesten Thau,
  Der im Morgengrau
Nur immer die Blüthen und Blätter getränkt;
  Froh schenken wir ein
  Diesen labenden Wein, 
Wenn die Stille der Nacht auf die Erde sich senkt.

  Ich soll dir gesteh'n
  Die Freuden der Fee'n?
  'S ist die Jagd, die erschallt
  Im düsteren Wald; 
Keck reiten mit Horn und mit Hund wir bei Nacht
  Über Moor' und Höh'n,
  Durch Thäler und See'n 
Bis vom Klauge des Waidwerks der Morgen erwacht.

  Ich soll Dir gesteh'n,
  Wie gekleidet die Fee'n?
  In die Fäden dünn,
  Die im Sommer hin
Durch die Kühle des Abends so lustig weh'n;
  Und der Rosenflaum beut
  Weiches Wamms und Kleid, 
Drin Ritter und Damen zum Feste geh'n.

  Ich soll dir gesteh'n,
  Wann zum Fest wir geh'n?
  Schwebt der Mond voll Pracht
  In der stillen Nacht
Über Land und See, wie ein lieblicher Traum,
  Dann klingt durch die Luft
  Flöt' und Trommel und ruft 
Die Fee und ihr Liebchen zum Tanz um den Baum.

Text Authorship:

  • by Heinrich Julius Heintze (1811 - 1860), "Kunde aus dem Feenlande", appears in William Motherwell's und Robert Tannahill's Gedichte, first published 1841 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in English by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835), "Facts from Fairyland", subtitle: "'O then, I see. Queen Mab hath been with you!'", appears in Poems Narrative and Lyrical, Third Edition, Boston: William D. Ticknor & Company, first published 1844
    • Go to the text page.

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

  • by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Kunde aus dem Feenlande", op. 125 no. 5, published 1843 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Caledon. 5 Lieder, no. 5, Hannover, Bachmann [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2011-10-29
Line count: 50
Word count: 245

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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!
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