November song | To the archer, but not to the old one

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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Novemberlied

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Dem Schützen, doch dem alten nicht
Zu dem die Sonne flieht,
Der uns ihr fernes Angesicht
Mit Wolken überzieht;

Dem Knaben sey dies Lied geweiht,
Der zwischen Rosen spielt,
Uns höret und zur rechten Zeit
Nach schönen Herzen zielt!

Durch ihn hat uns des Winters Nacht,
So häßlich sonst und rauh,
Gar manchen werten Freund gebracht
Und manche liebe Frau.

Von nun an soll sein schönes Bild
Am Sternenhimmel stehn,
Und er soll ewig hold und mild
Uns auf- und untergehn.

Confirmed with Goethe’s sämmtliche Werke in dreißig Bänden, Vollständige, neugeordnete Ausgabe, Erster Band, Stuttgart: J.G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1857, page 55.

Text Authorship:

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Novemberlied", written 1783 [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):

by Karl Julius Marx (1897 - 1985), "Novemberlied", op. 49 no. 5 (1949) [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "November song", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Chant de novembre", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 81

November song

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

To the archer, but not to the old one
To whom the sun flees,
Who covers the sun's distant face
With clouds;

[Rather] to this lad may this song be dedicated,
To him who plays among roses,
Who hears us, and at the appropriate time
Aims at beautiful hearts!

Through him the winter's night,
Otherwise so ugly and so harsh,
Has brought to us many a valued friend
And many a dear woman.

From now on his beautiful image
Shall stand upon the starry sky,
And eternally lovely and gentle
He shall rise and set for us.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 by Sharon Krebs, (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 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Novemberlied", written 1783
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-11-05
Line count: 16
Word count: 97