Es war ein König in Thule
Gar treu bis an [das]1 Grab,
Dem sterbend seine Buhle
Einen goldnen Becher gab.

Es ging ihm nichts darüber,
Er leert' ihn jeden Schmaus;
Die Augen gingen ihm über,
So oft er trank daraus.

Und als er kam zu sterben,
Zählt' er seine Städt' im Reich,
[Gönnt']2 alles [seinem]3 Erben,
Den Becher nicht zugleich.

Er saß beim Königsmahle,
Die Ritter um ihn her,
[Auf hohem]4 Vätersaale,
Dort auf dem Schloß am Meer.

Dort stand der alte Zecher,
Trank letzte Lebensgluth,
Und warf den [heil'gen]5 Becher
Hinunter in die Fluth.

Er sah ihn stürzen, trinken,
Und sinken tief ins Meer.
Die Augen täten ihm sinken;
Trank nie einen Tropfen mehr.

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View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Goethe's Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand, Erster Band, Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1827, pages 187-188; and with Faust. Ein Fragment. in Goethe's Schriften. Siebenter Band. Leipzig, bey Georg Joachim Göschen, 1790, pages 94-95.

First published in a different version in Volks- und andere Lieder, mit Begleitung des Forte piano, In Musik gesetzt von Siegmund Freyherrn von Seckendorff. Dritte Sammlung. Dessau, 1782, pages 6-9; see below.

See also "Het dartele water bruiselt", a poem by Pol de Mont written to be sung to Schumann's song "Der König von Thule".

¹ Lenz, Liszt: "sein"
² Zelter: "Lies"
³ Fritze, Lenz, Liszt: "seinen"
³ Schubert (Neue Gesamtausgabe): "seinen"
⁴ Zelter: "In hohen"
⁵ Goethe (Faust): "heiligen"

Text Authorship:

• by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Der König in Thule", written 1774, appears in Faust, in Der Tragödie erster Teil (Part I), Margarete's song, first published 1782 [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 Hermann Behn (1857?9 - 1927), "Der König in Thule", op. 2 (Fünf Gesänge für 1 mittlere Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1 (189-?), published 1896 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
• by Simon Breu (1858 - 1933), "Der König in Thule", op. 65 (Zwei Lieder für Bass mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1901 [ bass and piano ], Berlin, Ries & Erler  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862 - 1921), "Der König in Thule", op. 2 (Zwei Gesänge für Alt-Stimme (oder Mezzo-Sopran) mit Pianofortebleitung) no. 2 (1886), published 1889, orchestrated 1907 [ alto or mezzo-soprano and piano ], Frankfurt a/M., Steyl & Thomas [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Felix (August Bernhard) Draeseke (1835 - 1913), "Der König von Thule", op. 26 no. 6, published 1885 [ voice and piano ], from Vermischte Lieder. Sechs Gesänge, no. 6, Dresden, Hoffarth [sung text not yet checked]
• by Karl Anton Florian Eckert (1820 - 1879), "Der König in Thule", 1828 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gottfried Wilhelm Fink (1783 - 1846), "Der König in Thule", op. 18 no. 6, published 1807 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Wilhelm Fritze (1842 - 1881), "Der König in Thule", op. 17 no. 1, published 1877 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge aus Goethe's 'Faust', no. 1, Breslau, Hientzsch [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Manfred Gurlitt (1890 - 1972), "Gretchen singt", copyright © 2005 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Vier dramatische Gesänge für Sopran und Orchester, no. 2, München, Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
• by Christian Wilhelm Heydenreich , "Der König von Thule" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Der König in Thule", op. 205 (Vier Gesänge für zwei weibliche Stimmen mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1884 [ vocal duet and piano ], Leipzig: Schuberth & Co.  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Adolf Jensen (1837 - 1879), "Der König in Thule", op. 23 (Sechs Lieder mit deutsch und dänischen Texte) no. 6, published 1865 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Peters  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Johann Christoph Kienlen (1783 - 1829), "Lied von Gretchen", published 1819? [sung text not yet checked]
• by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793 - 1832), "Der König in Thule", published c1823/4 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Joseph Klein (1802 - 1862), "Gretchen", op. 71 (Acht Lieder und Gesänge von Heine und Goethe) no. 5, published 1826 [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Otto Klemperer (1885 - 1973), "Der König in Thule", 1915 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Conradin Kreutzer (1780 - 1849), "Romanze: Es war ein König in Thule", 1820 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge aus Goethe's Faust, no. 12, an edition from 1836 is mentioned by Hofmeister, published Wien, Trentsensky [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Friedrich Bonneval de La Trobe (1769 - 1845), "Der König in Thule", from Zwölf deutsche Lieder, no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Eduard Lassen (1830 - 1904), "Es war ein König in Thule", op. 57 no. 59, published 1877 [ alto and piano ], from Aus der Musik zu Goethe's Faust, no. 59, Breslau, Hainauer [sung text not yet checked]
• by Justus Amadeus Lecerf (1789 - 1868), "Gretchen", published 1835? [ voice and piano ], from Neun Gesänge zu Goethe's Faust, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Leopold Lenz (1803 - 1862), "Romanze", op. 14, Heft 1 (Gesänge Gretchens) no. 1, published 1833 [ voice and piano ], from Gesänge und Lieder aus der Tragödie Faust von Goethe, no. 1, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Franz (Ferenc) Liszt (1811 - 1886), "Es war ein König in Thule", S. 278, published 1843 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Heinrich August Marschner (1795 - 1861), "Der König von Thule", op. 160 (4 Gesänge für Bariton) no. 1 (1852), published 1852 [ baritone and piano ], Leipzig, Hofmeister; confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Johann Gottlob Quandt , "Der König in Thule" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Der König von Thule", published 1805-6 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Julius Röntgen (1855 - 1932), "Es war ein König in Thule", 1931 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra, and organ ], from Aus Goethes Faust, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Louis Schlottmann (1826 - 1905), "Der König in Thule", op. 44 (10 Goethe'sche Dichtungen) no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Bernhard Ernst Scholz (1835 - 1916), "Der König in Thule", op. 7 (Acht deutsche Lieder mit Clavier-Begleitung) no. 5, published 1857 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: C. F. Peters [sung text not yet checked]
• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Der König in Thule", op. 5 (Fünf Lieder) no. 5, D 367 (1816), published 1821 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Der König von Thule", op. 67 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 1)) no. 1 (1849), published 1849 [ SATB chorus ], Leipzig, Whistling  [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Artur Seemann (1861 - 1925), "Der König in Thule ", op. 13 no. 4, published [1919], from Suleika. Sieben Lieder für eine hohe Singstimme mit Klavierbegleitung, no. 4, Leipzig: C. F. Kahnt [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Philipp) Friedrich Silcher (1789 - 1860), "Der König von Thule" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hans August Friedrich Zincke genannt Sommer (1837 - 1922), "Der König von Thule", c1921 [ voice and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Karl Gottfried) Wilhelm Taubert (1811 - 1891), "Der König in Thule", op. 151 (6 Gesänge für tiefe Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 6, published 1866 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774 - 1850), "Der König in Thule", op. 59 (Gedichte von Goethe: VII) no. 2 (1815?) [sung text not yet checked]
• by Wenzel Heinrich Veit (1806 - 1864), "Der König in Thule", op. 37 (Sechs vierstimmige Gesänge für Männerstimmen) no. 4, published 1854 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
• by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Es war ein König in Thule", published 1878; 1885 [ voice and piano ], from Album of German Songs (later published as Sixteen German Songs), no. 7, London: Stanley Lucas, Weber & Col.; also reprinted by Recital Publications (Texas) in 1995 , also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
• by (Peter) Nicolai von Wilm (1834 - 1911), "Der König in Thule", op. 96 (Drei Lieder für 1 mittlere Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1891 [ medium voice and piano ], Leipzig, O. Forberg [sung text not yet checked]
• by Alexander Winterberger (1834 - 1914), "Es war ein König in Thule", op. 40 (Fünf Gesänge für 1 tiefere Stimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1875 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt  [sung text not yet checked]
• by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Der König von Thule", 1811, published 1812 [sung text checked 1 time]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

• by Antoni Henryk Radziwill, Fürst (1775 - 1833), "Melodram und Lied. Faust.", published 1835, from Compositionen zu Göthe's Faust, no. 16, Berlin: Zum ausschliesslichen Debit in Commission bei T. Trautwein, Buch-und Musikhandlung
  • View the full text. [sung text checked 1 time]
    

Set in a modified version by Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff.

• Go to the text. [ view differences ] CZE
  

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (1779 - 1850) ; composed by Christopher Ernst Friedrich Weyse.
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• Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Maude Valérie White.
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• Also set in English, a translation by Stephen Phillips (1868 - 1915) , "Song" and by Joseph Comyns Carr (1849 - 1916) , "Song" ; composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
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• Also set in French (Français), a translation by Gérard Labrunie (1808 - 1855) , "Le roi de Thulé", appears in Le Faust de Goethe ; composed by Hector Berlioz.
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• Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Emmanuel Bondeville.
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• Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Léon Charles François Kreutzer.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jan Evangelista Nečas) , "Král v Thule"
• CZE Czech (Čeština) (Otokar Fischer) , "Král v Thule"
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "De koning van Thule", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "There was a King of Thule", copyright ©
• ENG English [singable] (Arthur Westbrook) , "The King of Thule"
• IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , "Bhí rí ann fadó in Thule", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Il re in Tule", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "O rei em Thule", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• SPA Spanish (Español) (Diego Gonzales) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 115

Havia um rei em Thule,
Fiel até ao túmulo.
A quem, ao morrer, a sua amada
Deu um cálice de ouro.

Nada havia de melhor para ele
Esvaziava-o em todos os festins;
Os olhos arregalavam-se-lhe,
De tantas vezes que dele bebia.

E quando ele veio a morrer,
Contou as suas cidades no reino,
Deixou tudo aos seus herdeiros,
Mas não o cálice.

Sentado no banquete real,
Os cavaleiros rodeando-o,
No alto salão dos antepassados,
Ali no palácio junto ao mar.

Ali estava o velho beberrão,
Bebeu o último calor da vida,
E atirou o cálice sagrado
Para a água lá em baixo.

Viu-o cair, enchendo-se
E afundando-se no fundo do mar.
Os olhos fecharam-se-lhe
Nunca mais bebeu uma gota.