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Es öffnet leise klingend Des Windes luft'ger Scherz Der Blumen rothe Lippen, Der Blätter grünes Herz. Es spitzt [das]1 Schilf die Ohren, Wenn's säuselt in dem Ried, Und rauscht mit tausend Zungen Ein frisches Morgenlied. Die Vögel auf den Zweigen Erweckt der Blätter Klang, Und in [den]2 Äther wirbelt Frohlockend ihr Gesang. Und hört der Mensch hierunten, Wie Alles lieblich stimmt, Wie Lust auf Wog' und Blättern In Melodieen schwimmt: Drückt er die Hand des Bruders Voll Andacht im Gemüt, Und seine Lippe jubelt, Und seine Seele glüht.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with Adolf Böttger, Gedichte, Leipzig: Dürr'sche Buchhandlung, 1854, pages 67-68.
Note: in some editions of Böttger's poems, stanza 4 line 1 is " Und hört der Mensch im Tale".
1 Billeter: "der"2 Billeter: "dem"
Text Authorship:
- by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870), "Unterwegs", appears in Gedichte, in Wartburglieder [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 Agathon Billeter (1834 - 1881), "Auf der Wanderschaft" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Eduard Köllner (1839 - 1891), "Es öffnet leise klingend", op. 45 (Drei Lieder für Solo und Männerchor) no. 2, published 1876 [ solo voice and men's chorus ], Delitzsch: Pabst [sung text not yet checked]
- by Amalie Karoline Luise Scholl (1823 - 1879), "Auf der Wartburg", subtitle: "Unterwegs", op. 2 (Fünf Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte ) no. 3, published 1870 [ voice and piano ], Dresden, Hoffarth [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Melanie Trumbull , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-17
Line count: 20
Word count: 90
Quietly ringing, the airy jesting Of the wind opens The red lips of the flower, The green heart of the leaves. The rushes perk up their ears When there is a rustling in the reeds, And with a thousand tongues they Sough a fresh morning song. The birds upon the branches are Wakened by the sound of the leaves, And in the aether their song Whirls jubilantly. And when man here below hears How everything is beautifully attuned, How upon waves and leaves The air floats in melodies: Then he presses the hand of his brother Full of devoutness in his spirit, And his lips rejoice, And his soul glows.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Auf der Wanderschaft" = "Upon a wandering journey"
"Auf der Wartburg" = "Upon the Wartburg"
"Es öffnet leise klingend" = "Quietly ringing, there opens"
"Unterwegs" = "On the road"
Note: in some editions of Böttger's poems, stanza 4 line 1 is "Und hört der Mensch im Tale" (And when the man in the valley).
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Adolf Böttger (1815 - 1870), "Unterwegs", appears in Gedichte, in Wartburglieder
This text was added to the website: 2025-12-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 110