Die Bekehrte
German source:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Ging ich still den Wald entlang,
Damon saß und blies die Flöte,
Daß es von den Felsen klang,
So la la!
Und er zog mich zu sich nieder,
Küßte mich so hold, so süß.
Und ich sagte: „Blase wieder!“
Und der gute Junge blies,
So la la!
Meine Ruh’ ist nun verloren,
Meine Freude floh davon,
Und ich hör’ vor meinen Ohren
Immer nur den alten Ton,
So la la, le ralla!
Converted
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
I wandered quietly through the wood,
Damon sat and played his flute,
Making the rocks resound,
So la la!
And he drew me down to him,
Kissed me so gently, so sweetly.
And I said: ‘Play once more!’
And the good lad played,
So la la!
Now my peace is lost,
My joy has flown away,
And ringing in my ears I hear
Nothing but the old refrain,
So la la, le ralla!
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Die Bekehrte
German source:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Converted
English source:
Richard Stokes
Bei dem Glanz der Abendröte
In the red glow of sunset
Ging ich still den Wald entlang,
I wandered quietly through the wood,
Damon saß und blies die Flöte,
Damon sat and played his flute,
Daß es von den Felsen klang,
Making the rocks resound,
So la la!
So la la!
Und er zog mich zu sich nieder,
And he drew me down to him,
Küßte mich so hold, so süß.
Kissed me so gently, so sweetly.
Und ich sagte: „Blase wieder!“
And I said: ‘Play once more!’
Und der gute Junge blies,
And the good lad played,
So la la!
So la la!
Meine Ruh’ ist nun verloren,
Now my peace is lost,
Meine Freude floh davon,
My joy has flown away,
Und ich hör’ vor meinen Ohren
And ringing in my ears I hear
Immer nur den alten Ton,
Nothing but the old refrain,
So la la, le ralla!
So la la, le ralla!
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
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a German writer and statesman. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry written in a variety of metres and styles; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on…
Performances
Previously performed at:
- Mastercourse Concert 27 Oct 2018
- Mastercourse Day One 23 Oct 2017