by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation by John Liddell Kelly (1850 - 1926)
Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen
Language: German (Deutsch)
Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen, Und weißt, ich lebe noch? Der alte Zorn kommt wieder, Und dann [zerbrech']1 ich mein Joch. Kennst du das alte Liedchen: Wie einst ein toter Knab' Um Mitternacht die Geliebte Zu sich geholt ins Grab? Glaub' mir, du wunderschönes, Du wunderholdes Kind, Ich [lebe]2 und bin noch stärker Als alle Toten sind!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with: Heinrich Heine’s sämtliche Werke in vier Bänden, herausgegeben von Otto F. Lachmann, Erster Band, Leipzig: Druck und Verlag von Philipp Reclam jun, [1887], page 126.
1 Heller: "zerbreche"2 Merxhausen (Decker): "leb' "
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 21, first published 1823-4 [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 Elof Benktander (1894 - 1975), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 13 (1920) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques (Jacob) Blumenthal (1829 - 1908), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 101 (Two books of song), Heft 1 (In the shadow) no. 29, published 1894, also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pauline von Decker (1811 - 1882), as Paul Friedrich Merxhausen, "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", published 1870? [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder, no. 3, Berlin: Verlag von Wilhelm Müller [sung text checked 1 time]
- by L. Fuchs , "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 8 (Zwei Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 1, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Paez [sung text not yet checked]
- by Knut Håkanson (1887 - 1929), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", 1905 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franciscus Johannes van der Heijden (b. 1848), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 19 (Drei Lieder) no. 1, published 1882 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stephen (István) Heller (1813 - 1888), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", 1830-8? [ voice and piano ], from Sieben deutsche Lieder, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Otto Jahn (1813 - 1869), "Drohung", from Acht Lieder (erste Sammlung), no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adolf Fredrik Lindblad (1801 - 1878), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", 1870-1880 [ voice and piano ], from Sånger och Visor vid Pianoforte. Efterlemnade Sånger, no. 192 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lo. List , "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 2 (Lieder) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Xaver Viktor Neruda (1843 - 1915), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 2 (Sieben Gesänge) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Korstiaan Stougie (1908 - 1988), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 1 (124 liederen : 1925-1969) no. 105 (1948), published 1972, from Elf Heine-liederen, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nisse Strandberg , "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from 5 Sanger, no. 1, Stockholm, Lundquist [sung text not yet checked]
- by Th. Trendelenburg , "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", op. 2 (Sechs Lieder von H. Heine) no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Vesque von Püttlingen (1803 - 1883), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen", published 1851, from Die Heimkehr : 88 Gedichte aus H. Heine's Reisebildern, no. 21 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Milberg Brøchner.
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- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ambrose Davenport.
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- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , appears in Poems and Ballads of Heinrich Heine, first published 1881 ; composed by Constantin Silvestri.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Jacques Blumenthal.
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- Also set in English, a translation by John Liddell Kelly (1850 - 1926) , "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen?", appears in Heather and Fern: Songs of Scotland and Maoriland, in Love Lyrics (From the German of Heine), first published 1902 ; composed by Oliveria Louisa Prescott.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (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: 12
Word count: 57
How canst thou calmly slumber
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
How canst thou calmly slumber And knowest I am alive ? Again the old rage comes o'er me. And I spurn the fettering gyve. Know'st thou the weird old story. How the dead youth came to the room, At midnight, and carried his sweetheart Away with him to the tomb ? Believe me, thou wondrous sweet one -- Thou maiden so fair to see, I live, and I still am stronger Than all the dead men be !
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by John Liddell Kelly (1850 - 1926), "Wie kannst du ruhig schlafen?", appears in Heather and Fern: Songs of Scotland and Maoriland, in Love Lyrics (From the German of Heine), first published 1902 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Die Heimkehr, no. 21, first published 1823-4
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Oliveria Louisa Prescott (1842 - 1919), "How canst thou calmly slumber?", 1872 [voice and piano], unpublished ; note: this may be the wrong text for this title [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-07-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 75