Le chercheur de trésor | Quand tous les bois dormaient

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by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Der Schatzgräber

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA

Wenn alle Wälder schliefen,
Er an zu graben hub,
Rastlos in Berges Tiefen
Nach einem Schatz er grub.

Die Engel Gottes sangen
Dieweil in stiller Nacht,
Wie rote Augen drangen
Metalle aus dem Schacht.

"Und wirst doch mein", und grimmer
Wühlt er und wühlt hinab!
Da stürzen Steine und Trümmer
Über den Narren herab.

Hohnlachen wild erschallte 
Aus der verfallnen [Kluft]¹,
Der Engelsang verhallte
Wehmütig in der Luft.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• R. Schumann

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Schumann: "Gruft"

Text Authorship:

by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Der Schatzgräber", appears in Gedichte, in 7. Romanzen [author's text not yet checked 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by Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886 - 1954), "Der Schatzgräber", c1899 [ voice and piano ], unpublished ; manuscripts are in the Zurich Central Library [sung text checked 1 time]
by Eduard (Edward) Franz Carl Hubert Hartenfels (1810 - 1898), "Der Schatzgräber" [sung text not yet checked]
by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Der Schatzgräber", op. 45 (Romanzen und Balladen für Singstimme und Klavier (Heft 1)) no. 1 (1840), published 1844 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Whistling [sung text checked 1 time]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "El cercador de tresors", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De schatgraver", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The treasure-seeker", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le chercheur de trésor", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Il cercatore di tesori", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 70

Le chercheur de trésor

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Quand tous les bois dormaient,
Il commença à creuser,
Sans repos dans la profondeur de la montagne
Il creusait pour un trésor.

Les anges de Dieu chantaient
Pendant que dans la nuit silencieuse
Comme des yeux rouges sortaient
Des métaux hors de la mine.

"Et vous serez à moi", et plus rageusement
Il creusait et il creusait profond !
Alors les pierres et les décombres s'effondrèrent
Sur le fou en bas.

Des rires moqueurs et sauvages retentirent
Du caveau effondré,
Le chant des anges se perdit
Tristement dans l'air.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2010 by Guy Laffaille, (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:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Joseph Karl Benedikt, Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 - 1857), "Der Schatzgräber", appears in Gedichte, in 7. Romanzen
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2010-11-11
Line count: 16
Word count: 88