This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
Click here to listen to this song with Nicky Spence and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Der Soldat II
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
Hinter uns schon durch die Nacht hör’ ich’s schreiten,
Schwing’ auf mein Ross dich nur schnell
Und küss’ noch im Flug mich wildschönes Kind,
Geschwind,
Denn der Tod ist ein rascher Gesell.
The soldier II
English translation ©
Joseph von Eichendorff
Already I hear footsteps behind us in the night,
Quickly leap up onto my horse
And kiss me as we flee, wild and lovely child,
Make haste,
For Death is fleet of foot.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Der Soldat II
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
The soldier II
English source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
Wagen musst du und flüchtig erbeuten,
You must be bold and swift to seize your prey,
Hinter uns schon durch die Nacht hör’ ich’s schreiten,
Already I hear footsteps behind us in the night,
Schwing’ auf mein Ross dich nur schnell
Quickly leap up onto my horse
Und küss’ noch im Flug mich wildschönes Kind,
And kiss me as we flee, wild and lovely child,
Geschwind,
Make haste,
Denn der Tod ist ein rascher Gesell.
For Death is fleet of foot.
Composer
Hugo Wolf
Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf was born on 13 March 1860, the fourth of six surviving children, in Windischgraz, Styria, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was taught the piano and violin by his father at an early age and continued to study piano at the…
Poet
Joseph von Eichendorff
Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism. Ever since their publication and up to the present day, some…