Du junges Grün, du frisches Gras!
[Wie]1 manches Herz durch dich genas,
Das von des Winters Schnee erkrankt,
O wie mein Herz nach dir verlangt!

Schon [brichst]2 du aus der Erde Nacht,
Wie dir mein Aug' entgegen lacht! 
[Hier in des Waldes stillem Grund
Drück' ich dich, Grün, an Herz und Mund.]3

[Wie treibt's]4 mich von den Menschen fort!
Mein Leid, das [hebt]5 kein Menschenwort,
Nur junges Grün ans Herz gelegt,
Macht, daß mein Herze stiller schlägt.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ von Wilm: "So"
² von Wilm: "steigst"; Schumann: "wächst"
³ Linke: "Und hier im stillen Waldesgrund / Drück' ich dich warm an Herz und Mund."
⁴ von Wilm: "Es treibt"
⁵ von Wilm: "heilt"

Text Authorship:

• by Justinus (Andreas Christian) Kerner (1786 - 1862), "Frühlingskur", appears in Gedichte, in Die lyrischen Gedichte [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 Franz Magnus Böhme (1827 - 1898), "Das erste Grün", op. 31 (Fünf Lieder für Männerchor) no. 3, published 1891 [ men's chorus ], Leipzig, Kistner [sung text not yet checked]
• by Gustav Flügel (1812 - 1900), "Du junges Grün, du frisches Gras", op. 8 no. 5, published << 1869 [ voice and piano ], from Jugendlieder, no. 5, Magdeburg: Heinrichshofen'sche Buch- und Musikalien Handlung [sung text not yet checked]
• by Hermann Linke , "Frühlingskur", op. 3 (Zwanzig Lieder meist im Volkston) no. 10, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Christian Immo Schneider (b. 1935), "Frühlingskur", unpublished [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Erstes Grün", op. 35 no. 4 (1840), published 1841 [ voice and piano ], from Zwölf Gedichte von Justinus Kerner, no. 4, Leipzig, Klemm [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Otto Tiehsen (1817 - 1849), "Du junges Grün", op. 12 no. 5, published 1842 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Gedichte von Chamisso, Geibel, Rückert und Kerner, no. 5, Berlin, Trautwein und Co. [sung text not yet checked]
• by (Peter) Nicolai von Wilm (1834 - 1911), "Erstes Grün", op. 222 (Zehn Gesänge) no. 5, published <<1905, Leipzig, Kahnt [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Verd primerenc", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Eerste groen", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Primo verde", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 82

You young green, you fresh grass!
How many hearts have recovered through you
after falling ill from winter's snow?
O how my heart longs for you!

Already you are growing from earth's night;
how my eye laughs to gaze toward you!
Here in the forest's mute grounds
I press you to me, you green, to my heart and my lips.

How driven I am to leave humanity!
My sorrow can be lifted by no human word;
only young grass lying upon my heart
will make my heart beat more calmly.