To Philomele | Your song of lament, like a rising scale

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by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875)

Translation © by Peter Palmer

An Philomele

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Tonleiterähnlich steiget dein Klaggesang
Vollschwellend auf, wie wenn man Bouteillen füllt:
    Es steigt und steigt im Hals der Flasche -
        Sieh, und das liebliche Naß schäumt über.

O Sängerin, dir möcht ich ein Liedchen weihn,
Voll Lieb und Sehnsucht! aber ich stocke schon;
    Ach, mein unselig Gleichnis regt mir
        Plötzlich den Durst und mein Gaumen lechzet.

Verzeih! im Jägerschlößchen ist frisches Bier
Und Kegelabend heut: ich versprach es halb
    Dem Oberamtsgerichtsverweser,
        Auch dem Notar und dem Oberförster.

Text Authorship:

by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "An Philomele" [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 Distler (1908 - 1942), "An Philomele", op. 19 (Mörike-Chorliederbuch), Heft 3 no. 12 (1939) [ men's chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Martin Herchenröder (b. 1961), "An Philomele", 1989, first performed 1990, from Lieder nach Mörike-Gedichten, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Tobias Hiller (b. 1966), "An Philomele", 2004 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], from Musikalische Mörike-Kommentare, no. 5, note: the first two stanzas are sung and the third stanza is spoken [sung text checked 1 time]
by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "An Philomele", op. 62 no. 5 (1948-9) [ voice and piano ], from Das holde Bescheiden: Lieder und Gesänge nach Gedichten von Eduard Mörike, no. 5, Wien: Universal Edition [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Peter Palmer) , "To Philomele", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "À Philomèle", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-24
Line count: 12
Word count: 76

To Philomele

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Your song of lament, like a rising scale,
Swells up as though filling up bottles:
   It rises and rises in the neck of the vessel --
      Look how the lovely liquid foams over.

Oh songstress, how I'd like to devote an air to you,
Full of love and longing! but words fail me;
   Tut, my unfortunate simile has awakened      
      My thirst all of a sudden, and my mouth is parched.

Forgive me! but there's fresh beer at the hunting lodge
And skittles this evening: I half promised
   The senior district prosecutor,
      The notary and the chief forest ranger.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2009 by Peter Palmer, (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 Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "An Philomele"
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-10-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 97