[Einst wollt' ich]1 hinaus in den grünen Wald, Da zogen die Sorgen mit; Vergebens gebot ich wohl zehnmal Halt, Sie folgten mir Schritt für Schritt. Doch als wir kamen wohl in den Busch, Begann ein Geflüster sogleich; Die Vöglein riefen: Ihr Sorgen, husch, Hinaus aus dem grünen Bereich! Das Gras erhob sich und hielt sie auf, Ein Windstoß hauchte sie fort, Die Bäume rauschten und schlugen drauf, Sie flohen von Ort zu Ort Und rannten und stießen die Köpfe sich ein Am Felsen riesig und rauh, Verschmolzen im lachenden Sonnenschein, Ertranken im duftigen Tau. Da habt ihr's! rief ich, von ihrer Noth Befreit, in die Lüfte hinaus; Da seht ihr, was euch im Walde droht: Ein andermal bleibt ihr zu Haus!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Gustav Pfarrius, Die Waldlieder, Köln: Verlag der M. DuMont-Schonberg'schen Buchhandlung, 1850, page 3.
1 Berger: "Ich wollte"; further changes may exist not noted above.Text Authorship:
- by Gustav Pfarrius (1800 - 1884), "Wie es den Sorgen erging" [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 Wilhelm Reinhard Berger (1861 - 1911), "Wie es den Sorgen erging", op. 59 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rud. Dietrich [sung text not yet checked]
- by Otto Ladendorff , "Wie es den Sorgen erging", op. 11 (Vier Lieder für 1 mittlere Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1888 [ medium voice and piano ], Berlin, Paez [sung text not yet checked]
- by Max Julius Loewengard (1860 - 1915), "Wie es den Sorgen erging", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Acht Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 7, Berlin, Raabe & Plothow [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Ludwig Amand Mangold (1813 - 1889), "Sorgen, bleibt zu Haus", op. 73 (Sechs Lieder für vierstimmigen Männerchor), Heft 2 no. 4, published 1882 [ four-part men's chorus ], Darmstadt, Bölling [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Friedrich) Oskar Wermann (1840 - 1906), "Wie es den Sorgen erging", op. 19 (Gesänge für Soprano, Alt, Tenor und Bass), Heft 1 no. 10, published 1878 [ satb quartet ], Dresden: Plötner & Meinhold [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
- ENG English (Alfred Baskerville) , "What Happened to Care", appears in The Poetry of Germany: Consisting of Selections from Upwards of Seventy of the most celebrated Poets, translated into English Verse, with the Original Text on the Opposite Page
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-07-24
Line count: 20
Word count: 122
In the greenwood once going forth to roam, I found at my side Dull Care; In vain I bade her wend her steps home, She followed me every where. But when to the grove I had made my way, Soft whispers arose anon; And the birds all cried, "Dull Care, away! "From this emerald realm begone!" The grass arose and obstructed her path, Behind her the breezes gave chase, The trees howled at her, and vented their wrath, She hurried from place to place. And 'gainst the rocks gigantic and wild She dashed her head as she flew, Dissolved in the beams of the sun that smiled, And drowned in the sweets of the dew. "Take that!" I shouted with voice elate, Freed from her pursuit, "when you roam "In the greenwood such will e'er be thy fate, "Stay, prithee, next time at home!"
Confirmed with Alfred Baskerville, The Poetry of Germany: Consisting of Selections from Upwards of Seventy of the Most Celebrated Poets, translated into English verse, with the original text on the opposite page, Third edition, Philadelphia: John Weik, 1856, page 261.
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Baskerville (flourished c1854-1884), "What Happened to Care", appears in The Poetry of Germany: Consisting of Selections from Upwards of Seventy of the most celebrated Poets, translated into English Verse, with the Original Text on the Opposite Page [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Gustav Pfarrius (1800 - 1884), "Wie es den Sorgen erging"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-06-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 144