Songs

Mit schwarzen Segeln

by Hugo Wolf

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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 Sarah-Jane Brandon and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.

Text & Translation

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Mit schwarzen Segeln
German source: Heinrich Heine

Mit schwarzen Segeln segelt mein Schiff
Wohl über das wilde Meer;
Du weisst, wie sehr ich traurig bin,
Und kränkst mich noch so schwer.

Dein Herz ist treulos wie der Wind
Und flattert hin und her;
Mit schwarzen Segeln segelt mein Schiff
Wohl über das wilde Meer.

With black sails
English translation © Richard Stokes

With black sails my ship sets forth
Out over the stormy sea;
Though you know how sad I am,
Still you wound me so cruelly.

Your heart is fickle like the wind
And flutters to and fro;
With black sails my ship sets forth
Out over the stormy sea.

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)

Mit schwarzen Segeln
German source: Heinrich Heine

With black sails
English source: Richard Stokes

Mit schwarzen Segeln segelt mein Schiff
With black sails my ship sets forth
Wohl über das wilde Meer;
Out over the stormy sea;
Du weisst, wie sehr ich traurig bin,
Though you know how sad I am,
Und kränkst mich noch so schwer.
Still you wound me so cruelly.

Dein Herz ist treulos wie der Wind
Your heart is fickle like the wind
Und flattert hin und her;
And flutters to and fro;
Mit schwarzen Segeln segelt mein Schiff
With black sails my ship sets forth
Wohl über das wilde Meer.
Out over the stormy sea.

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

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…

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