Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at 
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
An einem Abend, da die Blumen dufteten Und alle Blätter an den Bäumen, trug der Wind mir Das Lied einer entfernten Flöte zu. Da schnitt Ich einen Weidenzweig vom Strauche, und Mein Lied flog, Antwort gebend, durch die blühende Nacht. Seit jenem Abend hören, wann die Erde schläft, Die Vögel ein Gespräch in ihrer Sprache.
Authorship
- by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), appears in Die chinesische Flöte [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762), "春夜洛城闻笛"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Hans Altmann (1904 - 1961), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", op. 24 (7 Lieder aus "Die chinesische Flöte") no. 1, published c1963 [ voice and piano ] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Gottfried von Einem (1918 - 1996), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", op. 8 no. 1 [ medium voice and piano ], from Fünf Lieder aus dem Chinesischen, no. 1, Boosey & Hawks / Bote & Bock [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Léonard Pieter Joseph Michielsen (1872 - 1944), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", from Sechs Gesänge chinesischer Lyrik, no. 5 [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Julius Röntgen (1855 - 1932), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", op. 66 no. 8 (1916), published 1917 [ voice and piano ], from Chinesische Lieder, no. 8, Copenhagen: Wilhelm Hansen [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by James Simon (1880 - 1944), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", op. 10 no. 1, from Drei Lieder aus der Chinesischen Flöte, no. 1 [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Johan Gustaf) Emil Sjögren (1853 - 1918), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", op. 54 (Wenn nur ein Traum och Die geheimnisvolle Flöte) no. 2 (1911), published 1911 [ voice and piano ] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Rudolf Wagner-Régeny (1903 - 1969), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", 1921, from Lieder der Frühe, no. 8 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Anton von Webern (1883 - 1945), "Die geheimnisvolle Flöte", op. 12 (Vier Lieder für Singstimme und Klavier) no. 2 (1917) [ sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Jules Schürmann (1873 - 1927) , from Chineesche verzen, first published 1916 FRE FRE GER ; composed by M. C. C. Reynvaan.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955) , "Les deux flûtes" [an adaptation] DUT GER ; composed by Manuel M. Ponce, Rosalie Marie Wertheim.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Judith Gautier (1845 - 1917) , "La flûte mystérieuse", appears in Le livre de jade, 1867 edition, in 7. Les poëtes, no. 4, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1867 DUT GER ; composed by Gabriel-André Fabre.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The mysterious flute", copyright ©
- ENG English [singable] (Mrs. Bertram Shapleigh) , "The Mysterious Flute"
- FRE French (Français) [singable] (Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi) , "La Flûte mystérieuse"
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La flûte mystérieuse", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-12-09
Line count: 7
Word count: 55
Un soir, alors que les fleurs exhalaient leurs parfums et toutes les feuilles étaient sur les arbres, le vent m'apporta le chant d'une flûte au loin. Alors j'ai taillé une branche d'un saule d'un buisson, et mon chant s'envola, apportant une réponse, à travers la nuit en fleurs. Depuis ce soir , quand la terre dort, les oiseaux entendent une conversation dans leur langue.
Authorship
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Guy Laffaille, (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: 
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Hans Bethge (1876 - 1946), appears in Die chinesische Flöte [an adaptation]
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762), "春夜洛城闻笛"
This text was added to the website: 2009-09-21
Line count: 7
Word count: 64