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.
In der Fremde II
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
Und wandre von Haus zu Haus,
Ich kann mich noch immer nicht fassen,
Sieht alles so trübe aus.
Da gehen viel’ Männer und Frauen,
Die alle so lustig sehn,
Die fahren und lachen und bauen,
Dass mir die Sinne vergeh'n.
Oft wenn ich bläuliche Streifen
Seh’ über die Dächer fliehn,
Sonnenschein draussen schweifen,
Wolken am Himmel ziehn:
Da treten mitten im Scherze
Die Tränen ins Auge mir,
Denn die mich lieben von Herzen,
Sind alle so weit von hier.
In a foreign land II
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
And wander from house to house:
I still cannot contain myself,
All looks so cheerless round about.
Many men and women pass by,
Who look so happy, every one,
They travel and laugh and farm the land,
That I quite lose my senses.
Often I see bluish streaks
Drift by over roof-tops,
And sunshine all around outside,
And scudding clouds in the sky –
Then, amid all the gaiety,
Tears well into my eyes,
For they who loved me ardently
Are all so far from here.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
In der Fremde II
German source:
Joseph von Eichendorff
In a foreign land II
English source:
Richard Stokes
Ich geh’ durch die dunklen Gassen
I go through the dark streets
Und wandre von Haus zu Haus,
And wander from house to house:
Ich kann mich noch immer nicht fassen,
I still cannot contain myself,
Sieht alles so trübe aus.
All looks so cheerless round about.
Da gehen viel’ Männer und Frauen,
Many men and women pass by,
Die alle so lustig sehn,
Who look so happy, every one,
Die fahren und lachen und bauen,
They travel and laugh and farm the land,
Dass mir die Sinne vergeh'n.
That I quite lose my senses.
Oft wenn ich bläuliche Streifen
Often I see bluish streaks
Seh’ über die Dächer fliehn,
Drift by over roof-tops,
Sonnenschein draussen schweifen,
And sunshine all around outside,
Wolken am Himmel ziehn:
And scudding clouds in the sky –
Da treten mitten im Scherze
Then, amid all the gaiety,
Die Tränen ins Auge mir,
Tears well into my eyes,
Denn die mich lieben von Herzen,
For they who loved me ardently
Sind alle so weit von hier.
Are all so far from here.
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…