Les nuages | Rapides comme des flèches, ils partent là-bas

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

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

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

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

sometimes misattributed to Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856) and by Felix Reinhold Köstlin (1842 - 1867)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Die Wolken

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Rasch wie die Pfeile zieh'n sie dahin,
Ach! Dass du wüsstest, wie weit und wohin[!]
Flögest so gerne von hinnen!
Leicht wie der Vogel im luftigen Raum,
Flögest du dort in der Wolke Saum,
Leben und Licht zu gewinnen!

Note: the text is misattributed to C. Köstlin on the score, but is likely by Lang's son Felix.

Text Authorship:

sometimes misattributed to Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856)
by Felix Reinhold Köstlin (1842 - 1867) [author's text not yet checked 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 Dorothea Hofmann (b. 1961), "Die Wolken", first performed 2022 [ voice and piano ], from Leicht wie ein Vogel . . ., no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Josephine Lang (1815 - 1880), "Die Wolken", op. 25 (Sechs Lieder) no. 5, published 1860 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig: Friedrich Kistner [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) (Harald Krebs) , "The clouds", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Les nuages", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Le nuvole", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2006-12-11
Line count: 6
Word count: 39

Les nuages

Language: French (Français) after the German (Deutsch)

Rapides comme des flèches, ils partent là-bas,
Hélas ! Si tu savais comme ils vont loin et où,
Tu t'envolerais volontiers d'ici !
Légers comme l'oiseau dans l'espace aérien,
Tu volerais là-bas au bord des nuages,
Pour atteindre la vie et la lumière !

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2011 by Guy Laffaille, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) misattributed to Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856) and by Felix Reinhold Köstlin (1842 - 1867)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-09-15
Line count: 6
Word count: 42