Songs

Traun! Bogen und Pfeil

by Johannes Brahms From Die schöne Magelone (1861) Op. 33 1861-1869

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Text & Translation

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Traun! Bogen und Pfeil
German source: Ludwig Tieck

Traun! Bogen und Pfeil
Sind gut für den Feind,
Hülflos alleweil
Der Elende weint;
Dem Edlen blüht Heil,
Wo Sonne nur scheint,
Die Felsen sind steil,
Doch Glück ist sein Freund.

In truth! bow and arrow
English translation © Richard Stokes

In truth! bow and arrow
Are fit for the foe,
Helplessly
The wretched will always weep;
A noble soul will flourish
Wherever the sun shines,
The cliffs are steep,
But fortune is his friend.

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

Traun! Bogen und Pfeil
German source: Ludwig Tieck

In truth! bow and arrow
English source: Richard Stokes

Traun! Bogen und Pfeil
In truth! bow and arrow
Sind gut für den Feind,
Are fit for the foe,
Hülflos alleweil
Helplessly
Der Elende weint;
The wretched will always weep;
Dem Edlen blüht Heil,
A noble soul will flourish
Wo Sonne nur scheint,
Wherever the sun shines,
Die Felsen sind steil,
The cliffs are steep,
Doch Glück ist sein Freund.
But fortune is his friend.

Composer

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna.  Brahms has been considered, by his…

Poet

Ludwig Tieck

Johann Ludwig Tieck (31 May 1773 – 28 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  You can read more about him here.

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