Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Hoch auf dem alten Thurme steht Des Helden edler Geist, Der, wie das Schiff vorübergeht, Es wohl zu [fahren]1 heißt. "Sieh, diese [Senne]2 war so stark, Dieß Herz so fest und wild, Die Knochen voll von Rittermark, Der Becher angefüllt; "Mein halbes Leben stürmt' ich fort, Verdehnt' die Hälft' in Ruh, Und du, du Menschen-Schifflein dort, Fahr' immer, immer zu!"
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Erster Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1827, page 106, and with Goethe's Schriften, Achter Band, Leipzig, bey Georg Joachim Göschen, 1789, page 149.
1 Reichardt: "führen"2 outdated for "Sehne"
Authorship
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Geistes-Gruß", written 1774, first published 1789 [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 Aschultz von Goldenbeck , "Geistesgruss", published 1873 [ bass and piano ], from Am baltischen Strande : Drei Lieder, no. 1, Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Wilhelm Dietz (1833 - 1897), "Geistesgruss", op. 45 (Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Moritz Hauptmann (1792 - 1868), "Geistesgruß", op. 25 (Sechs Lieder von Goethe für Sopran, Alt, Tenor und Bass) no. 6 (c1840) [ SATB chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by J. G. Hübner , "Geistesgruß" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793 - 1832), "Geistesgruß", published c1820 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Geistesgruß", op. 15 no. 12 (1908), from 12 Goethe-Lieder, no. 12 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Emil Naumann (1827 - 1888), "Geistes-Gruss", op. 6 (Sechs Lieder für Mezzo-Sopran oder Bariton mit Pianoforte) no. 6, published 1856 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], Berlin, Bahn [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Geistesgruß", published 1794 [ vocal trio with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Max Renner , "Geistergruss", op. 1 (Vier Gesänge für 4 Männerstimmen) no. 4, published 1883 [ vocal quartet for male voices ], Leipzig, Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
- by Othmar Schoeck (1886 - 1957), "Geistesgruß", WoO. 5 (1902?) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Geistes-Gruß", op. 92 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, D 142 (1815/16), published 1828 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Geistesgruß", op. 57 (Gedichte von Goethe: V) no. 2 (1815?) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Geistesgruß", op. 13 no. 2 (1876) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Geistesgruß", 1810 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Groet van de geest", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Ghost-Greetings", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Salut d'un fantôme", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 60
High up on the ancient tower stands The hero's noble ghost, Which, whenever a boat passes by, Bids it a fair journey. "Behold, this muscle was once strong, This heart so firm and savage, These bones full of a Knight's marrow, The cup overflowing; "Half my life I stormed forth, I spent the other half in peace; And you, you little man-made boat, Journey ever, ever forth!"
Authorship
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Geistes-Gruß", written 1774, first published 1789
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 68