In the loneliness of the forest | I sat at your feet

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by Karl von Lemcke (1831 - 1913)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Ich saß zu deinen Füßen

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: CAT DUT ENG FRE ITA SPA

Ich saß zu deinen Füßen
In Waldeseinsamkeit;
Windesatmen, Sehnen
Ging durch die Wipfel breit.

In stummen Ringen senkt' ich
Das Haupt in deinen Schoß,
Und meine bebenden Hände
Um deine Knie ich schloß.

Die Sonne ging hinunter,
Der Tag verglühte all,
Ferne, ferne, ferne
Sang eine Nachtigall.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Karl von Lemcke (1831 - 1913), "Ich saß zu deinen Füßen", appears in Lieder und Gedichte, in 6. Vermischte Gedichte, first published 1861 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "In Waldeseinsamkeit", op. 85 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6 (1878) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Hermann Riedel (1847 - 1913), "Ich sass zu deinen Füssen", op. 8 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, published 1890 [ high voice and piano ], Wien, Doblinger [sung text not yet checked]

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "In de eenzaamheid van het woud", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "In the loneliness of the forest", copyright ©
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Dans la solitude de la forêt", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Nella solitudine del bosco", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
SPA Spanish (Español) (Alvaro De la Cruz) , "En la soledad del bosque", copyright © 2009, (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: 12
Word count: 47

In the loneliness of the forest

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

I sat at your feet
In the loneliness of the forest;
The breath of the wind, like longing,
Went through the broad treetops.

In mute struggle I sank
my head into your lap,
And my shaking hands
I clasped about your knees.

The sun set,
The day lost its glow,
Far, far, far away
Sang a single nightingale.

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.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Karl von Lemcke (1831 - 1913), "Ich saß zu deinen Füßen", appears in Lieder und Gedichte, in 6. Vermischte Gedichte, first published 1861
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 58