Nehm' ich die Harfe,
Folgend dem Drange
Süßer Gefühle,
Denk' ich auch Dein.
Mädchen! und glaub', es
Können ja lange
[Ohne der Harfe]1
Sänger nicht seyn.

Wähn' ich im Liede
Siedler und Klause,
Burg und Turniere
Wieder zu schau'n;
Prangst mit Barett und
Starrender Krause
Du am Balkone
Zwischen den Frau'n.

Preis' ich der Alpen
Friedliche Lüfte,
Hoch ob des Thales
Wildem Gebraus;
Füllst du als Senninn
Trillernd die Klüfte,
Lachst aus dem kleinen,
Hölzernen Haus. 

Sing' ich von schönen
Wasser-Jungfrauen
Einsam im Mondschein
Schwimmend im See;
Schwebst du bey ihnen
Unten im Blauen,
Streckst mir entgegen
Arme von Schnee.
 
Überall nahe
Weilest, du Liebe,
Mir in der Dichtung
Rosigem Land',
[Ach, nur im Leben,
Strenge und trübe,]2
Trennt uns des Schicksal's
Feindliche Hand.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Carl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner. Wien, gedruckt bey J. P. Sollinger. 1825, pages 160-162; and with Gedichte von Karl Gottfried Ritter v. Leitner. Zweite sehr vermehrte Auflage. Hannover. Victor Lohse. 1857, pages 102-103.

Note: in many older editions, the spelling of the capitalized word "überall" becomes "Ueberall", but this is often due to the printing process and not to rules of orthography, since the lower-case version is not "ueberall", so we use "Überall".

Note: Schubert only sketched an outline of the vocal part of this song, but did neither write a title nor underlay any text. Reinhard van Hoorickx identified the poem set by Schubert and suggested a completion of Schubert's fragment.

¹ Randhartinger: "Ohne Harfe"
² Leitner (1857 edition): "Nur in des Lebens / Wirrem Getriebe"

Text Authorship:

• by Karl Gottfried von Leitner (1800 - 1890), "Sie in jedem Liede", written 1821, first published 1825 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Benedikt Randhartinger (1802 - 1893), "Sie in jedem Liede" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Sie in jedem Liede", D 896A (1827), published 1988 [ voice, piano ], fragment, completed by Reinhard van Hoorickx [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Ella en cada cançó", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Zij in ieder lied", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Malcolm Wren) , "She is in every song", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Ted Perry , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 124

When I take my harp
Following the impulse
Of sweet feelings
I also think of you,
Maiden! and believe me that it
Is not possible to remain for long
Without a harp
For a singer.

In my songs if I imagine
People in smallholdings and cells,
Castles and tournaments
Can be seen again;
You appear resplendent in a cap and
A starched ruff,
There you are on the balcony
Amongst the ladies.

If I praise the mountains'
Peaceful breezes,
High above the valley's
Savage turmoil,
As a milkmaid you fill
The crevices with your yodelling,
Your laughing can be heard in the small
Wooden house.

If I sing about beautiful
Water nymphs
Alone in the moonlight
Swimming in the lake;
You are floating with them
Down there in the blue, 
Reaching out to me
With snow-white arms.

Everywhere you are close,
You are there, my love,
With me in poetry's
Land of roses,
Alas, it is only in life,
So strict and bleak,
That we are separated by fate's
Inimical hand.