Wenn ich den Wandrer frage
Language: German (Deutsch)
Wenn ich den Wandrer frage:
'Wo kommst du her?'
"Von Hause, von Hause,"
Spricht er und seufzet schwer.
Wenn ich den Wandrer frage:
'Wo zieht du hin?'
"Nach Hause, nach Hause,"
Spricht er mit frohem Sinn.
Wenn ich den Wandrer frage,
'Wo blüht dein Glück?'
"Im Hause, im Hause,"
Spricht er mit feuchtem Blick.
Und wenn er mich nun fraget:
'Was drückt dich schwer?'
"Ich kann nicht nach Hause.
Hab' keine Heimath mehr!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Volk und Vaterland: deutschvölkisches Dichterbuch, erster Band, ed. by Adolf Bartels, Halle: Max Grosse, 1917. Appears in viertes Buch, page 392.
See also Wenn ich den Wandrer frage, attributed to A. Lenz.
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Helmut Bogenhardt , "Wenn ich den Wand'rer frage", published 2001 [ three-part women's chorus a cappella ], Dortmund : Wildt ; note: the record in the DNB card catalog attributes the text to Fr. Brückner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Brückner (1811 - 1894), "Nach Hause", 1837 [ chorus and orchestra ], confirmed with Volksthümliche lieder der Deutschen im 18. und 19. jahrhundert, ed. by Franz Magnus Böhme, Leizpig, Druck und Verlag von Breitkopf und Härtel, 1895, p. 493 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Theodor Gaugler (1840 - 1892), "Die Heimath", op. 9 no. 1, published 1873 [ ttbb chorus ], Leipzig: Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leo Lehner (1900 - 1981), "Wenn ich den Wandrer frage", published 1954 [ four-part mixed chorus a cappella ], Wien, Krenn [sung text not yet checked]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Sharon Krebs
[Senior Associate Editor], Melanie Trumbull
This text was added to the website: 2019-06-20
Line count: 16
Word count: 73
When I ask the wanderer
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
When I ask the wanderer:
'From whence do you come?'
"From home, from home,"
He says and sighs heavily.
When I ask the wanderer:
'Where are you going?'
"Homeward, homeward,"
He says with a joyful spirit.
When I ask the wanderer,
'Where does your happiness blossom?'
"In my home, in my home,"
He says with tear-moistened eyes.
And when he then asks me:
'What weighs you down so heavily?'
"I cannot go home.
I no longer have a homeland!"
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Die Heimat" = "Home"
"Nach Hause" = "Homeward"
"Wenn ich den Wand'rer frage" = "When I ask the wanderer"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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:
This text was added to the website: 2026-04-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 79
