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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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Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Herr Oluf reitet spät und weit
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT ENG FRE
Herr [Oluf]1 reitet spät und weit,
Zu bieten auf seine Hochzeitleut'.

Da tanzen die Elfen auf grünem Strand,
Erlkönigs Tochter reicht ihm die Hand:

"Willkommen, Herr Oluf, komm tanzen mit mir,
Zwei göldene Sporen schenke ich dir."

"Ich darf nicht tanzen, nicht tanzen ich mag,
Denn morgen ist mein Hochzeittag."

"Tritt näher, Herr Oluf, komm tanzen mit mir, 
Ein Hemd von Seiden schenke ich dir,

Ein Hemd von Seiden so weiß und fein,
Meine Mutter bleicht's mit Mondenschein!"

"Ich darf nicht tanzen, nicht tanzen ich mag,
Denn morgen ist mein Hochzeittag."

"Tritt näher, Herr Oluf, komm tanzen mit mir,
Einen Haufen Goldes schenke ich dir."

"Einen Haufen Goldes nähme ich wohl,
Doch tanzen ich nicht darf noch soll."

"Und willst du, Herr Oluf, nicht tanzen mit mir,
Soll Seuch' und Krankheit folgen dir!"

Sie tät ihm geben einen Schlag aufs Herz,
Sein Lebtag fühlt' er nicht solchen Schmerz.

Drauf tät sie ihn heben auf sein Pferd:
"Reit' heim zu deinem Fräulein wert!"

Und als er kam vor Hauses Tür,
Seine Mutter zitternd stand dafür:

"Sag an, mein Sohn, und sag mir gleich,
Wovon du bist so blaß und bleich?"

"Und sollt ich nicht sein blaß und bleich?
Ich kam in Erlenkönigs Reich."

"Sag an, mein Sohn, so lieb und traut,
Was soll ich sagen deiner Braut?"

"Sagt ihr, ich ritt in den Wald zur Stund,
Zu proben allda mein Roß und Hund."

Früh Morgens als der Tag kaum war,
Da kam die Braut mit der Hochzeitschar.

Sie schenkten Met, sie schenkten Wein:
"Wo ist Herr Oluf, der Bräutigam mein?"

"Herr Oluf ritt in den Wald zur Stund,
Zu proben allda sein Roß und Hund."

Die Braut hob auf den Scharlach rot, 
Da lag Herr Oluf und war tot.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   August 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 August: "Olof"

The text shown is a variant of another text. [ View differences ]
It is based on

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), "Herr Oluf"
    • Go to the text page.
It is based on
  • a text in Danish (Dansk) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by August, Herzog von Sachsen-Gotha und Altenburg (1772 - 1822), "Herr Olof", published 1807 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Zdenko Antonín Václav Fibich (1850 - 1900), "Erlkönigs Tochter", 1872 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Adolf Jensen (1837 - 1879), "Erlkönigs Tochter", op. 58 no. 1, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], from Vier Gesänge aus “Stimmen der Völker” für eine mittlere Stimme und Pianoforte, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Herr Oluf", op. 2 no. 2 (1821) [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Friedrich Oestreich (1800 - 1840), "Erlkönigs Tochter ", published [1817] [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge mit Begleitung des Pianoforte , no. 6, Leipzig: Im Commission der Dykischen Buchhandlung; Leipzig: Gedruckt bei Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff (1744 - 1785), "Erlkönigs-Tochter", published 1782 [ voice and piano ], from Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, Dritte Sammlung, no. 7, Dessau: auf Kosten der Verlags-Kasse [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), [adaptation] ; composed by Gustav Heinrich Graben-Hoffmann.
      • Go to the text.

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , 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: 42
Word count: 289

Lord Oluf rides late and far
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Lord Oluf rides late and far
to summon his wedding guests.
Elves are dancing on a green bank,
and the Erlking's daughter offers him her hand.
"Welcome, Lord Oluf, come dance with me
and I will give you two golden spurs."

"I cannot dance, I do not wish to dance -
for tomorrow is my wedding-day."
"Come closer, Lord Oluf, come dance with me,
and I will give you a shirt of silk,
a shirt of silk so white and fine -
my mother bleached it with moonbeams!"

"I may not dance, I do not wish to dance -
for tomorrow is my wedding-day."
"Come closer, Lord Oluf, come dance with me
and I will give you a heap of gold."
"A heap of gold I would gladly take,
but I cannot and should not dance with you."

"If you will not dance with me, Lord Oluf,
then plague and sickness will follow you!"
She dealt him a blow to the heart,
and all his life he had never felt such pain.
Then she heaved him up upon his horse:
"Ride home to your worthy lady then!"

And when he came to the door to his house,
his mother, trembling, stood before him.
"Tell me, my son, and tell me true,
Why are you so pale and sick?"
"And should I not be pale and sick?
I was in the Erlking's realm."

"Tell me, my son, so dear,
What should I tell your bride?"
"Tell her that I rode to the wood just now,
To test my horse and hound."
At early morning when day had hardly dawned,
his bride arrived with the wedding crowd.

They poured mead and wine:
"Where is Lord Oluf, my bridegroom?"
"Lord Oluf rode to the wood just now,
To test his horse and hound."
The bride lifted up the cloth scarlet red,
And there lay Lord Oluf: he was dead.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Herr Oluf" = "Lord Oluf"

Text 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

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
    licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Not Applicable , "Erlkönigs Tochter" [an adaptation]
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), "Herr Oluf"
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in Danish (Dansk) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 42
Word count: 313

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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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