Das gelbe Laub erzittert, 
Es fallen die Blätter herab; 
Ach, alles, was hold und lieblich, 
Verwelkt und sinkt ins Grab. 

Die [Wipfel]1 des Waldes umflimmert 
Ein schmerzlicher Sonnenschein; 
Das mögen die letzten Küsse 
Des scheidenden Sommers sein. 

Mir ist, als müsst ich weinen 
Aus tiefstem Herzensgrund; 
[Dies Bild erinnert]2 mich wieder
An unsre Abschiedsstund'. 

Ich musste [von dir scheiden]3, 
Und wusste, du stürbest bald; 
Ich war der scheidende Sommer, 
Du warst der [kranke]4 Wald.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Franz (?): "Gipfel"
² Reinecke: "Es mahnet dies Bild"
³ Grieg, Reinecke: "dich verlassen" (abandon you)
⁴ Grieg, Reinecke: "sterbende" (dying)

Authorship

• by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Nachgelesene Gedichte 1828-1844 , no. 8 [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 J. Bandisch , "Abschied", op. 4 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1880 [voice and piano], Leipzig, Eulenburg [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Wilhelm Reinhard Berger (1861 - 1911), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 8 (Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1882 [voice and piano], Bremen, Praeger & Meier [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Adolf Blomberg , "Abschied", op. 10 no. 1 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Walther Brand (b. 1811), "Der scheidende Sommer", published 1850, from 6 Gesänge von Tieck, Göthe u. Heinrich Heine, no. 4 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by W. Brandt , "Abschied" [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Anton Antonovich Derfeldt (1810 - 1869), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert" [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by A. Felsenthal , "Abschied", op. 7 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Robert Franz (1815 - 1892), "Abschied", op. 31 (Sechs Gesänge) no. 5, published 1858 [voice and piano], Leipzig, Senff [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907), "Abschied", op. 4 (Seks Digte af H. Heine, L. Uhland og A. von Chamisso) no. 3 (1863-4), published 1864 [alto and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
• by Ferdinand Gumbert (1818 - 1896), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 17 (Drei Gedichte von Heinrich Heine) no. 1 [soprano or tenor and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Karl Haine (1830 - 1910), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 58 no. 1 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Wilhelm Heiser (1816 - 1897), "Abschied", op. 136 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Gustav Klemm (1897 - 1947), "Abschied" [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Oscar de La Cinna , "Abschied", published 1859 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Eduard Lassen (1830 - 1904), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 91 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 4, published 1895, Paris, Hamelle [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Leonie Lichtenberg , "Abschied", op. 17, also set in Hungarian (Magyar) [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Julius Möllendorf (1821 - 1895), "Abschied", published 1888 [voice and piano], from Drei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebleitung, no. 3, Berlin, Schirmer & Möllendorf [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Friedrich August Naubert (1839 - 1897), "Abschied", op. 22 no. 2, published 1878 [medium voice and piano], from Buch der Lieder. Zwölf Gedichte von Heine, no. 2, Leipzig, Leuckart [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Victor Ernst Nessler (1841 - 1890), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 23 (Vier Lieder) no. 3 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by H. Neupert , "Abschied", from Fünf Lieder, no. 2 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by George Posca , "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 27 (Vier Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1899 [voice and piano], Hamburg, Meyer [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824 - 1910), "Herbst", op. 81 no. 6, published 1864 [tenor and piano], from Eine Novelle in Liedern. Cyclus von 8 Gesängen, no. 6 [ sung text checked 1 time]
• by Ernst Hermann Seyffardt (1859 - 1942), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", op. 5 no. 2 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Constantin Silvestri (1913 - 1969), "Der scheidende Sommer", op. 1 no. 8, published c1944 [high voice and piano], from Cycle of eight songs to poems by Heinrich Heine, no. 8 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Ernst Smigelski (b. 1881), "Das welke Laub erzittert", op. 10 no. 3 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Der scheidende Sommer", op. 40 (Fünf neue Gedichte von Heinrich Heine) no. 5 (1844-51?) [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Johan Weegenhuise (b. 1910), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", published 1962 [baritone or alto and piano], from Vier Lieder nach Heine, no. 3 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Das gelbe Laub erzittert", 1880?, fragment [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
• by Richard Ferdinand Würst (1824 - 1881), "Der scheidende Sommer", op. 20 (Lieder und Gesänge), Heft 4 no. 11, published 1860 [voice and piano], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen's Verlag [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in Hungarian (Magyar), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist CAT ENG ENG FRE SWE ; composed by Leonie Lichtenberg.
  • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
    
• Also set in Swedish (Svenska), a translation possibly by Erkki Gustaf Melartin (1875 - 1937) CAT ENG ENG FRE ; composed by Erkki Gustaf Melartin.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (John H. Campbell) , "The yellow foliage trembles", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English [singable] (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , "Parting"
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2014, (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: 74

 The yellow foliage trembles,
 the leaves fall down;
 oh, everything, that is lovely and sweet,
 wilts and sinks into the grave.
 
 The tops of the forest conceal
 a painful sunshine;
 the last kisses are like
 the departing summer.
 
 I weep, as I must,
 from deepest heart's reason;
 this scene again reminds me
 of our parting-hours.
 
 I had to part from you
 knowing, you would die soon!
 I was the departing summer,
 you were the ailing forest.