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Du kleine grünumwachsne Quelle, An der ich Daphne jüngst gesehn! Dein Wasser war so still! [so]1 helle! Und Daphne's Bild [darin]2, so schön! O, wenn sie sich [noch mahl]3 am Ufer sehen läßt, So halte du ihr schönes Bild doch fest; Ich schleiche [heimlich denn]4 mit naßen Augen hin, Dem [Bilde]5 meine Noth zu klagen; Denn, wenn ich bey ihr selber bin, [Denn, ach! denn]6 kann ich ihr nichts sagen.
Confirmed with ASMUS omnia sua SECUM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, I. und II. Theil. Beym Verfasser, und in Commißion bey Fr. Perthes in Hamburg. [1774], page 154; with ASMUS omnia sua SECUM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, Erster und zweiter Theil. Wandsbeck, 1774. Beym Verfasser, page 93; and with ASMVS omnia sua SECVM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, I. und II. Theil. Carlsruhe, bey Christian Gottlieb Schmieder. 1784, page 154.
First published in 1764 in a slightly different version in Tändeleyen und Erzählungen, see below.
1 Schubert: "und"2 Weber: "darinn"
3 Weber: "nochmal"
4 Claudius (Wandsbeck 1774 edition), Kraus, Schubert: "heimlich dann"; Weber: "dann"
5 Claudius (Carlsruhe, 1784 edition), Kraus, Schubert: "Bild"
6 Claudius (Wandsbeck 1774 edition), Kraus, Schubert, Weber: "Dann, ach! dann"
Text Authorship:
- by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815), "An eine Quelle", written 1760, first published 1764 [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 Joseph Martin Kraus (1756 - 1792), "An eine Quelle", VB 75 (1783) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "An eine Quelle", op. posth. 109 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, D 530 (1817), published 1829 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bernhard Anselm Weber (1764 - 1821), "An eine Quelle" [sung text checked 1 time]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "A una font", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Tot een bron", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To a spring", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "À une source", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "A una fonte", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 70
Piccola fonte, tutta circondata di verde dove da poco ho sorpreso Dafne! Limpide e calme sono le tue acque, e così bello il riflesso di Dafne! Se lei apparisse di nuovo sulle tue sponde, trattieni a lungo il riflesso di lei; mi avvicinerò in segreto con le lacrime agli occhi, per lamentare il mio dolore sulla sua immagine. Perché se dovessi trovarmi al suo fianco, non mi riuscirebbe di dire una sola parola.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2012 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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) by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815), "An eine Quelle", written 1760, first published 1764
This text was added to the website: 2012-08-13
Line count: 10
Word count: 73