Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht
German source:
Heinrich Heine
Es fiel auf die zarten Blaublümelein:
Sie sind verwelket, verdorret.
Ein Jüngling hatte ein Mädchen lieb;
Sie flohen heimlich von Hause fort,
Es wusst’ weder Vater noch Mutter.
Sie sind gewandert hin und her,
Sie haben gehabt weder Glück noch Stern,
Sie sind gestorben, verdorben.
There fell a frost one night in spring
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
It fell on the tender forget-me-nots;
They are now blighted, withered.
A young man loved a maiden;
In secret they eloped together;
Neither father nor mother knew.
They wandered to and fro;
They had neither luck nor guiding star;
They perished, died.
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht
German source:
Heinrich Heine
There fell a frost one night in spring
English source:
Richard Stokes
Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht,
There fell a frost one night in spring,
Es fiel auf die zarten Blaublümelein:
It fell on the tender forget-me-nots;
Sie sind verwelket, verdorret.
They are now blighted, withered.
Ein Jüngling hatte ein Mädchen lieb;
A young man loved a maiden;
Sie flohen heimlich von Hause fort,
In secret they eloped together;
Es wusst’ weder Vater noch Mutter.
Neither father nor mother knew.
Sie sind gewandert hin und her,
They wandered to and fro;
Sie haben gehabt weder Glück noch Stern,
They had neither luck nor guiding star;
Sie sind gestorben, verdorben.
They perished, died.
Composer
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career as a virtuoso pianist. He had been assured…
Poet
Heinrich Heine
Heine was born of Jewish parents. Much of his early life was influenced by the financial power of his uncle Salomon Heine, a millionaire Hamburg banker, with whom he remained on an awkward footing for many years. After he had been educated in the…