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
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.
Mitten im Schimmer der spiegelnden Wellen Gleitet, wie Schwäne, der wankende Kahn; Ach, auf der Freude sanftschimmernden Wellen Gleitet die Seele dahin wie der Kahn; Denn von dem Himmel herab auf die Wellen Tanzet das Abendroth rund um den Kahn. Ueber den Wipfeln des westlichen Haines Winket uns freundlich der röthliche Schein; Unter den Zweigen des östlichen Haines Säuselt der Kalmus im röthlichen Schein; Freude des Himmels und Ruhe des Haines Athmet die Seel' im erröthenden Schein. Ach, es entschwindet mit thauigem Flügel Mir auf den wiegenden Wellen die Zeit. Morgen [entschwinde]1 mit [schimmerndem]2 Flügel Wieder wie gestern und heute die Zeit, Bis ich auf höherem strahlenden Flügel Selber entschwinde der wechselnden Zeit.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Gedichte der Brüder Christian und Friedrich Leopold Grafen zu Stolberg. Erster Theil. Wien, 1821. Im Verlage bei J.B. Wallishausser. Hamburg, bei Perthes und Besser, pages 319-320; and with Musen Almanach für 1783 Herausgegeben von Voß und Goeking. Hamburg bei Carl Ernst Bohn, pages 168-169.
1 Schubert: "entschwindet"2 Stolberg (1821 print): "schimmernden", apparently misprint
Authorship:
- by Friedrich Leopold, Graf zu Stolberg-Stolberg (1750 - 1819), "Lied auf dem Wasser zu singen", subtitle: "Für meine Agnes", written 1782, first published 1783 [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 Anton Diabelli (1781 - 1858), "Lied auf dem Wasser zu singen" [ soprano, csakan, and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Wenzeslaus Kalliwoda (1801 - 1866), "Lied auf dem Wasser zu singen", op. 192 (Sechs Lieder für Sopran oder Tenor mit Pianoforte) no. 4 [ soprano or tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Bedřich (Johann Friedrich) Kittl (1806 - 1868), "Lied auf dem Wasser zu singen", op. 4 no. 3 (183-?) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Friedrich Ludwig Æmelius Kunzen (1761 - 1817), "Auf dem Wasser zu singen", published 1788 [ voice and piano or harpsichord ], from Weisen und lyrische Gesänge, no. 12, Flensburg und Leipzig: Korten'sche Buchhandlung, also set in Danish (Dansk) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Müller (1830 - 1905), "Auf dem Wasser zu singen", op. 14 (6 Lieder für S., A., T. und B. ) no. 1, published 1862 [ SATB quartet ], Leipzig, Siegel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann Nürnberg (1831 - 1894), "Lied auf dem Wasser zu singen", op. 2 (Lieder) no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Auf dem Wasser zu singen", op. 72, D 774 (1823), published 1823 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Knud Lyne Rahbek (1760 - 1830) , "Rovise" ; composed by Friedrich Ludwig Æmelius Kunzen.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Op het water te zingen", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Geart van der Meer) , "Op het water te zingen", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Lynn Thompson) , "In the middle of the shimmer of the reflecting waves", copyright © 1997, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English [singable] (Shula Keller) , "To sing on the water", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , "Op it wetter te sjongen", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Da cantare sull'acqua", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Paulo Albuquerque de Noronha) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 113
Midden op 't skimerich spegeljend wetter Driuwt sa't in swaan glydt myn widzjende boat: Ach, op it lok fan it opljochtsjend wetter Gliidt ek de siel as in sljurkjende boat; Want fan de himel falt dûnsjend oer 't wetter Trinten it jûntydsread ringsom myn boat. Fier yn it westen gloeit boppe de beammen Freonlik en fredich it readglânzjend ljocht; En oan de oare wâl ûnder de beammen Sûzelje reiden yn 't readglânzjend ljocht; Himelsk gelok en de frede fan beammen Azemt de siel yn it readgloeiend ljocht. Ach, hoe ûntgliidt mei syn dauwiete wjokken Mij op it weagjende wetter de tiid; Moarn wer ûntgliidt mij op glânzjende wjokken Krektlyk as hjoed en as juster de tiid, Oant ik op hegere blinkende wjokken Sels ek ûntgliidt oan de flechtige tiid.
Authorship:
- by Geart van der Meer (b. 1944), "Op it wetter te sjongen", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Leopold, Graf zu Stolberg-Stolberg (1750 - 1819), "Lied auf dem Wasser zu singen", subtitle: "Für meine Agnes", written 1782, first published 1783
Researcher for this text: Geart van der Meer
This text was added to the website: 2013-04-16
Line count: 18
Word count: 129