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 Quirijn de Lang and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Knabentod
German source:
Christian Friedrich Hebbel
In heissen Sommertagen;
Im Tannenwald, da macht er halt,
Er kann sich kaum noch tragen.
Den wilden Bach, er sieht, ihn jach
Ins Tal herunterschäumen;
Ihn dürstet sehr, nun noch viel mehr:
Nur hin! wer würde säumen!
Da ist die Flut! O in die Glut,
Was kann so köstlich blinken!
Er schöpft und trinkt, er stürzt und sinkt
Und trinkt noch im Versinken!
A boy's death
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
During the scorching days of summer,
In the pinewood he stops to rest,
Scarcely able to drag himself further.
He suddenly sees the brook in spate,
Foaming into the valley,
His burning thirst grows ever greater:
Keep moving on! Who would delay?
There is the water! Oh in that heat
What else could glitter so wonderfully!
He scoops water and drinks, he falls and sinks,
And drinks still as he drowns.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Knabentod
German source:
Christian Friedrich Hebbel
A boy's death
English source:
Richard Stokes
Vom Berg der Knab, der zieht hinab
From the mountain the boy comes down,
In heissen Sommertagen;
During the scorching days of summer,
Im Tannenwald, da macht er halt,
In the pinewood he stops to rest,
Er kann sich kaum noch tragen.
Scarcely able to drag himself further.
Den wilden Bach, er sieht, ihn jach
He suddenly sees the brook in spate,
Ins Tal herunterschäumen;
Foaming into the valley,
Ihn dürstet sehr, nun noch viel mehr:
His burning thirst grows ever greater:
Nur hin! wer würde säumen!
Keep moving on! Who would delay?
Da ist die Flut! O in die Glut,
There is the water! Oh in that heat
Was kann so köstlich blinken!
What else could glitter so wonderfully!
Er schöpft und trinkt, er stürzt und sinkt
He scoops water and drinks, he falls and sinks,
Und trinkt noch im Versinken!
And drinks still as he drowns.
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
Christian Friedrich Hebbel
Christian Friedrich Hebbel, was a German poet and dramatist. Hebbel was born at Wesselburen in Ditmarschen, Holstein, the son of a bricklayer. He was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums. Despite his humble origins, he showed a talent for…