Songs

Gretchens Bitte

by Franz Schubert

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Text & Translation

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Gretchens Bitte
German source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ach neige,
Du Schmerzenreiche,
Dein Antlitz gnädig meiner Not!

Das Schwert im Herzen,
Mit tausend Schmerzen
Blickst auf zu deines Sohnes Tod.

Zum Vater blickst du,
Und Seufzer schickst du
Hinauf um sein’ und deine Not.

Wer fühlet,
Wie wühlet
Der Schmerz mir im Gebein?
Was mein armes Herz hier banget,
Was es zittert, was verlanget,
Weißt nur du, nur du allein!

Wohin ich immer gehe,
Wie weh, wie weh, wie wehe
Wird mir im Busen hier!
Ich bin ach kaum alleine,
Ich wein’, ich wein’, ich weine,
Das Herz zerbricht in mir.

Gretchen's prayer
English translation © Richard Stokes

Ah, incline your countenance,
You who are full of sorrow,
To my distress!

With the sword in your heart,
And a thousand griefs,
You look up at your dying son.

You gaze up to the Father
And utter sighs
For His affliction and your own.

Who can feel
How the pain
Churns in my bones?
What my poor heart dreads,
Why it quakes, what it craves,
Only you, only you can know!

Wherever I go,
How it throbs, it throbs, it throbs
Here in my breast!
Alas, as soon as I’m alone,
I weep, I weep, I weep,
My heart breaks.

Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Gretchens Bitte
German source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Gretchen's prayer
English source: Richard Stokes

Ach neige,
Ah, incline your countenance,
Du Schmerzenreiche,
You who are full of sorrow,
Dein Antlitz gnädig meiner Not!
To my distress!

Das Schwert im Herzen,
With the sword in your heart,
Mit tausend Schmerzen
And a thousand griefs,
Blickst auf zu deines Sohnes Tod.
You look up at your dying son.

Zum Vater blickst du,
You gaze up to the Father
Und Seufzer schickst du
And utter sighs
Hinauf um sein’ und deine Not.
For His affliction and your own.

Wer fühlet,
Who can feel
Wie wühlet
How the pain
Der Schmerz mir im Gebein?
Churns in my bones?
Was mein armes Herz hier banget,
What my poor heart dreads,
Was es zittert, was verlanget,
Why it quakes, what it craves,
Weißt nur du, nur du allein!
Only you, only you can know!

Wohin ich immer gehe,
Wherever I go,
Wie weh, wie weh, wie wehe
How it throbs, it throbs, it throbs
Wird mir im Busen hier!
Here in my breast!
Ich bin ach kaum alleine,
Alas, as soon as I’m alone,
Ich wein’, ich wein’, ich weine,
I weep, I weep, I weep,
Das Herz zerbricht in mir.
My heart breaks.

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

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…

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