Zum Donaustrom, zur Kaiserstadt
Geh' ich in Bangigkeit:
Denn was das Leben Schönes hat,
[Entschwindet]1 weit und weit.

Die Berge [weichen]2 allgemach,
Mit ihnen [Thal]3 und Fluß;
Der Kühe Glocken läuten nach,
Und Hütten nicken Gruß.

Was starrt dein Auge thränenfeucht
Hinaus in blaue Fern'?
Ach, dorten weilt ich, unerreicht,
Frey unter Freyen gern!

Wo Liebe noch und Treue gilt,
Da öffnet sich das Herz;
Die Frucht an ihren Strahlen schwillt,
Und strebet Himmelwärts.

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Gedichte von Johann Mayrhofer. Wien. Bey Friedrich Volke. 1824, page 24.

¹ Schubert: "Entweichet"
² Schubert: "schwinden"
³ Schubert: "Wald"

Text Authorship:

• by Johann Baptist Mayrhofer (1787 - 1836), "Rückweg" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Rückweg", D 476 (1816), published 1872 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Camí de tornada", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Terugweg", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "The way back", copyright ©
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le chemin de retour", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Richard Morris , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 74