Songs

Auf den Tod einer Nachtigall

by Franz Schubert

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Text & Translation

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Auf den Tod einer Nachtigall
German source: Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty

Sie ist dahin, die Maienlieder tönte, 
Die Sängerin,
Die durch ihr Lied den ganzen Hain verschönte, 
Sie ist dahin!
Sie, deren Ton mir in die Seele hallte, 
Wenn ich am Bach,
Der durch Gebüsch im Abendgolde wallte 
Auf Blumen lag!

On the death of a nightingale
English translation © Richard Wigmore

She is no more, the songstress 
who warbled May songs,
who adorned the whole grove with her singing. 
She is no more!
She whose notes echoed in my soul, 
when I lay among flowers
by the brook that flowed through the undergrowth 
in the golden light of evening.

Auf den Tod einer Nachtigall
German source: Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty

On the death of a nightingale
English source: Richard Wigmore

Sie ist dahin, die Maienlieder tönte, 
She is no more, the songstress 
Die Sängerin,
who warbled May songs,
Die durch ihr Lied den ganzen Hain verschönte, 
who adorned the whole grove with her singing. 
Sie ist dahin!
She is no more!
Sie, deren Ton mir in die Seele hallte, 
She whose notes echoed in my soul, 
Wenn ich am Bach,
when I lay among flowers
Der durch Gebüsch im Abendgolde wallte 
by the brook that flowed through the undergrowth 
Auf Blumen lag!
in the golden light of evening.

Composer

Franz Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert was an late Classical and early Romantic composer. He produced a vast oeuvre during his short life, composing more the 600 vocal works (largely Lieder), and well as several symphonies, operas, and a large body of piano music. He…

Poet

Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty

Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty, was German poet who is considered the most gifted lyric poet of the Göttinger Hain, a group of young poets who saw themselves as heirs of the great lyric poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and whose work was…

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