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Translation © by Emily Ezust
Es ist ein Schnitter, der heißt Tod
Language: German (Deutsch)
Es ist ein Schnitter, [der heißt Tod]1, Hat Gewalt vom höchsten Gott, Heut wetzt er das Messer, Es schneid't schon viel besser, Bald wird er drein schneiden, Wir [müssen]2 nur leiden. [Hüte]3 dich schöns Blümelein! Was heut noch grün und frisch da steht, Wird [morgen schon hinweggemäht]4: [Die edlen Narzissen, Die Zierden der Wiesen]5, [Viel]6 schön' Hyazinthen, Die türkischen Binden. [Hüte]3 dich schöns Blümelein! Viel hundert tausend ungezählt, Das nur unter die Sichel fällt, Ihr [Rosen, ihr]7 Lilien, Euch wird er austilgen, Auch die Kaiser-Kronen, Wird er nicht verschonen. Hüte dich schöns Blümelein! Das himmelfarbe Ehrenpreis, Die Tulpanen [gelb und]8 weiß, Die silbernen Glocken, Die goldenen Flocken, Senkt alles zur Erden, Was wird daraus werden? Hüte dich schöns Blümelein! Ihr hübsch [Lavendel]9, Roßmarein, Ihr vielfärbige Röselein. Ihr stolze Schwertlilien, Ihr krause Basilien, Ihr zarte Violen, Man wird euch bald holen. [Hüte]3 dich schöns Blümelein! [Trotz! Tod, komm her, ich fürcht dich nicht, Trotz, eil daher in einem Schritt.]10 [Werd ich nur]11 verletzet, So werd ich versetzet [In den himmlischen Garten, Auf den alle wir warten]12. [Freu' dich, schönes]13 Blümelein.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• J. Brahms • J. Brahms • J. Brahms • H. Gál • J. Gall • F. Mendelssohn • R. Schumann • T. StreicherR. Schumann sets stanzas 1-4, 6
J. Gall sets stanzas 1, 3, 6
H. Gál sets stanzas 1-2, 5-6
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Brahms (WoO 32 no. 21): "heißt der Tod"
2 Brahms: "müssen's nur"; Streicher: "müssens"; Gál: "müssen's"
3 Gál: "Hüt'"
4 Brahms: "morgen schon weggemäht"; Mendelssohn: "schon morgen hinweggemäht"
5 Gál: "Die edel Narzissel, / die himmlische Schlüssel"
6 Gál: "die"
7 Gall: "Rosen und"
8 omitted by Brahms (WoO 32 no. 21)
9 Gál: "Lavenden"
10 Gál: "Trutz! Tod, komm her, ich fürcht' dich nit!/ Trutz! komm' und tu' ein' Schnitt!"; "Gall: "Trotz! Tod, komm her, ich fürcht' dich nicht,/ komm her mit eil'gem Schritt"
11 Brahms (WoO 32 no. 21): "Werd ich auch"; Gall: "und bin ich"
12 Gál: "ich will es erwarten,/ in' himmlischen Garten"; Gall: "In den himmlischen Garten/ den all' wir erwarten"
13 Schumann: "Freu' dich, du schön's"; Gall: "Freue dich, schön's"
Text Authorship:
- from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Katholisches Kirchenlied", appears in Des Knaben Wunderhorn [author's text not yet checked 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 (Carl) Ludwig (Heinrich) Berger (1777 - 1839), "Schnitterlied", op. 46 (Sieben Lieder für Männerstimmen) no. 4, published 1846 [ men's chorus a cappella ], Leipzig, Hofmeister; in Tafelgesänge für Männerstimmen : Sieben Lieder für die jüngere Liedertafel zu Berlin, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Schnitter Tod", WoO. 32 no. 21 (1858), published 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Deutsche Volkslieder, no. 21, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Schnitter Tod", WoO. posth. 38 no. 5 (1859-62) [ SSAA chorus a cappella ], from 20 Deutsche Volkslieder, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Schnitter Tod", WoO. 34 (Vierzehn deutsche Volkslieder) no. 13, published 1865 [ SATB chorus ], from Deutsche Volkslieder für gemischten Chor, no. 13, Winterthur, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Clara Faisst (1872 - 1948), "Erntelied", op. 10 no. 1 (1914-8) [ voice and piano ], from Sieben Lieder aus des Knaben Wunderhorn, no. 1, Karlsruhe: Selbstverlag, später: Karlsruhe: Müller [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Gál (1890 - 1987), "Der Schnitter", op. 25 no. 1 (1912-25), published 1926, first performed 1927, stanzas 1-2,5-6 [ SSAA chorus a cappella ], from Herbstlieder, no. 1, N. Simrock, Berlin [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jan Karol Gall (1856 - 1912), "Es ist ein Schnitter, der heisst Tod", op. 26 no. 3, published 1893?, stanzas 1,3,6 [ voice and piano ], from Z jesieni = Im Herbste, no. 3, Lwów: K. S. Jakubowski ; Warszawa : Gebethner & Wolff ; Lipsk, Breitkopf & Härtel, also set in Polish (Polski) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Gustav Jansen [not F. G. Jansen] , "Altdeutsches Erntelied", published 1863 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Mendel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847), "Erntelied", op. 8 (Zwölf Gesänge [nos. 2, 3, and 12 are by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel]) no. 4 (1828) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hermann Theobald Petschke (1806 - 1888), "Der Schnitter Tod", op. 12 (Sechs Lieder und Gesänge für vierstimmige Männerchor) no. 6, published <<1902 [ four-part men's chorus ], Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Schnitter Tod", op. 75 (Romanzen und Balladen für Chor (Heft 2)) no. 1 (1849), stanzas 1-4,6 [ mixed chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Theodor Streicher (1874 - 1940), "Erntelied", published 1903, from Dreissig Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Erich J. Wolff (1874 - 1913), "Es ist ein Schnitter", Lieder no. 20, published 1914 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Polish (Polski), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Jan Karol Gall.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Death the Reaper", copyright © 2007
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Cantique catholique", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POR Portuguese (Português) (Margarida Moreno) , "Morte ceifeira", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 42
Word count: 179
Death the Reaper
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
There is a reaper who is called Death, who has power from the highest god; today he whets his knife so that it will cut much better. Soon he will begin to cut and we can only suffer. Beware, fair little flower! What today is yet green and fresh will be cut down tomorrow: the noble narcissus, ornament of the field, many fair hyacinths, the Turkish posies... Beware, fair little flower! Many hundreds of thousands uncounted that only fall to the scythe, you roses, you lilies - you, too, he will obliterate. The crown imperials as well he will not spare. Beware, fair little flower! The sky-blue veronica, the tulips yellow and white, the silver campanula, and golden centaury ... all will sink to the earth - what will become of them? Beware, fair little flower! You lovely lavender, rosemary, you colorful little roses, you proud irises, you ruffled basil, you delicate violets, soon you will be called; Beware, fair little flower! And yet! Death, come here - I do not fear you, for all that; hasten here in one step. Were I only wounded, I would [still] be transported to the celestial Garden that we all await. [So] rejoice, fair little flower.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2007 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Katholisches Kirchenlied", appears in Des Knaben Wunderhorn
This text was added to the website: 2007-05-12
Line count: 42
Word count: 199