Returning | With my lyre

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by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857)

Translation © by Michael P Rosewall

Rückkehr

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT ENG FRE ITA

Mit meinem Saitenspiele,
Das schön geklungen hat,
Komm' ich durch Länder viele
Zurück in diese Stadt.

Ich ziehe durch die Gassen,
So finster ist die Nacht
Und alles so verlassen,
Hatt' 's anders mir gedacht.

Am Brunnen steh' ich lange,
Der rauscht fort, wie vorher,
Kommt mancher wohl gegangen,
Es kennt mich keiner mehr.

Da hört ich geigen, pfeifen,
Die Fenster glänzten weit,
Dazwischen drehn und schleifen
Viel' fremde, fröhliche Leut'.

Und Herz und Sinn mir brannten,
Mich trieb's in die weite Welt,
Es spielten die Musikanten,
Da fiel ich hin im Feld.

Text Authorship:

by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Rückkehr", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Wanderlieder [author's text not yet checked 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 Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Rückkehr", 1883 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Retorn", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Michael P Rosewall) , "Returning", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Retour", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Ritorno indietro", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 93

Returning

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

With my lyre,
Which sounds so beautifully,
I traveled through many lands
To return to this city.

I move through the lanes,
The night so dark
And everything is so deserted,
It seems changed to me.

I stand a long time at the fountain,
Which gushes forth, as always,
Some folks pass by,
But none know me any longer.

Then I hear fiddling, piping,
The open window twinkling,
Therein, whirling and loud,
Many strange, happy people.

And my heart and soul burns,
It sent me out into the vast world,
The musicians were playing,
That’s when I dropped down in the field.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2023 by Michael P Rosewall, (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 Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Rückkehr", appears in Gedichte, in 1. Wanderlieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-01-26
Line count: 20
Word count: 102