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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 licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874)
Translation © by Amelia Maria Imbarrato

Die Könige
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG ITA
Drei [Könige]1 wandern aus Morgenland,
Ein Sternlein führt sie zum Jordanstrand,
In Juda fragen und forschen die Drei,
Wo der [neugeborne]2 König sei?
Sie wollen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold
[Zum Opfer weihen dem Knäblein hold]3.

Und hell erglänzet des Sternes Schein,
Zum Stalle gehen die [Könige]1 ein,
Das Knäblein schaun sie wonniglich,
Anbetend neigen die [Könige]1 sich;
Sie bringen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold
Zum Opfer dar dem Knäblein hold.

O Menschenkind, halte treulich Schritt!
Die Kön'ge wandern, o wandre mit!
Der Stern [des Friedens]4, der Gnade Stern
Erhelle Dein Ziel, [wenn]5 Du suchst den Herrn,
Und fehlen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold,
Schenke Dein Herz dem Knäblein hold!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   P. Cornelius 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Peter Cornelius, Gedichte, eingeleitet von Adolf Stern, Leipzig: C.F. Kahnt Nachfolger, 1890, page 141. Note: the footnotes below show the changes Cornelius made for his song setting.

1 Cornelius: "Kön'ge"
2 Cornelius: "neugeborene"
3 Cornelius: "Dem Kinde spenden zum Opfersold"
4 Cornelius: "der Liebe"
5 Cornelius: "so"

Text Authorship:

  • by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Die Könige", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Weihnachtslieder [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 Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Die Könige", op. 8 no. 3 (1856), published 1871 [ voice and piano ], from Weihnachtslieder, no. 3, Leipzig, Fritzsch [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The Kings", copyright ©
  • ENG English [singable] (H. N. Bate) , "The three kings"
  • ENG English [singable] (Elsa Ebertz) , "The Kings"
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "I Re", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 116

I Re
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Tre Re vengono dall'oriente; 
una stella li guida verso le rive del Giordano. 
In Giudea domandano a tutti, 
dove è il Re appena nato? 
Vogliono offrire in dono al Bambino 
oro, incenso e mirra. 

E chiara splende la luce della stella: 
alla stalla arrivano i Re;
guardano il Bambinello con tenerezza, 
pregando si inchinano i Re; 
portano oro, incenso e mirra 
in dono al dolcissimo Bambino. 

O creatura umana! Sia fedele il tuo passo! 
I re camminano, vai con loro! 
La stella dell'amore, la stella della Grazia 
rischiari la tua meta, così che tu cerchi il Signore, 
e se non hai oro, incenso e mirra, 
dona il tuo cuore al dolcissimo bambino!

Note: this is a translation of Cornelius's sung text.


Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2011 by Amelia Maria Imbarrato, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Amelia Maria Imbarrato. We have no current contact information for the copyright-holder.
    If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Peter Cornelius (1824 - 1874), "Die Könige", appears in Gedichte, in 2. Zu eignen Weisen, in Weihnachtslieder
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2011-01-07
Line count: 18
Word count: 112

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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