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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.

by Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Ich fürcht' nit Gespenster
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Ich fürcht nit Gespenster,
Keine Hexen und Feen,
Und lieb's, in ihre tiefen
Glühaugen zu sehn.

Im Wald in dem grünen
Unheimlichen See,
Da wohnet ein Nachtweib,
Das ist weiß wie der Schnee.

Es haßt meiner Schönheit
Unschuldige Zier;
Wenn ich spät noch vorbeigeh,
So zankt es mit mir.

Jüngst, als ich im Mondschein
Am Waldwasser stand,
Fuhr sie auf ohne Schleier,
Ohne alles Gewand.

Es schwammen ihre Glieder
In der taghellen Nacht;
Der Himmel war trunken
Von der höllischen Pracht.

Aber ich hab entblößt
Meine lebendige Brust;
Da hat sie mit Schande
Versinken gemußt!

Text Authorship:

  • by Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890), "Ich fürcht nit Gespenster", appears in Neuere Gedichte, in Vermischte Gedichte, in Alte Weisen, no. 4 [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 Fritz Kögel , "Ich fürcht nit Gespenster", op. 7 (Sechs Gedichte von Gottfried Keller für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 4, published 1895 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Arnold Mendelssohn (1855 - 1933), "Ich fürcht nit Gespenster", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge, no. 27, Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869 - 1949), "Ich fürcht' nit Gespenster", op. 33 no. 2 (1923), from Alte Weisen, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Ich fürcht' nit Gespenster", op. 59 (Neun Lieder und Gesänge nach Gedichten von Gottfried Keller) no. 5 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Richard Schweizer (1868 - 1906), "Ich fürcht' nit Gespenster", op. 22 no. 8, from Alte Weisen, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Christian Sinding (1856 - 1941), "Ich fürcht' nit Gespenster", op. 1 no. 3 (1885), published 1890 [ high voice and piano ], from Alte Weisen - Sechs Lieder, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Felix Paul Weingartner (1863 - 1942), "Ich fürcht' nit Gespenster", op. 22 (Zwölf Gedichte von Gottfried Keller für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1896 [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "I fear no ghosts", copyright ©
  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Je ne crains pas les fantômes", copyright © 2012, (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: 24
Word count: 95

I fear no ghosts
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
 I fear no ghosts,
 no witches, no fairies -
 and love, in their deep
 glowing eyes to gaze.

 By the forest in the green
 eerie lake,
 there lives a night-witch
 who is as white as snow.

 She hates my beauty's
 innocent trappings;
 when I go past late at night,
 so she scolds me.

 Earlier, when in the moonlight
 I stood at the forest lake,
 she rose up without her veil,
 without all her robes.

 Her limbs were bathed
 in the day-bright night;
 heaven was drunk
 with hellish splendor.

 But I uncovered
 my living breast;
 and then, with shame, 
 she had to sink!

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 Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890), "Ich fürcht nit Gespenster", appears in Neuere Gedichte, in Vermischte Gedichte, in Alte Weisen, no. 4
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 102

Gentle Reminder

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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