An die Leier
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Greek (Ελληνικά)
Our translations: CAT DUT ENG
Ich will von Atreus' Söhnen,
Von Kadmus will ich singen!
Doch meine Saiten tönen
Nur Liebe im Erklingen.
Ich tauschte um die Saiten,
Die Leier möcht ich tauschen!
Alcidens Siegesschreiten
Sollt ihrer Macht entrauschen!
Doch auch die Saiten tönen
Nur Liebe im Erklingen!
So lebt denn wohl, Heroen!
Denn meine Saiten tönen
Statt Heldensang zu drohen,
Nur Liebe im Erklingen.
Text Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) possibly by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Carel Vosmaer (1826 - 1888) , "Op mijne lier" ; composed by Lodewijk Mortelmans.
- Also set in English, a translation by John Berkenhead, Sir (c1617 - 1679) ; composed by Henry Lawes.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Meinecke (1745 - 1825) , "Die Leyer" ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875) , "Verschiedener Krieg", appears in Anakreontische Lieder, no. 2 [an adaptation] ; composed by Fritz Franz Schieri.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "A la lira", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Aan de lier", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To the lyre", copyright ©
- ITA Italian (Italiano) [singable] (Jakob Nikolaus Craigher de Jachelutta) , "Alla cetra (Anacreontica)"
Researcher for this page: Richard Morris
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 60
To the lyre
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
Of Atreus' sons,
And of Cadmus I wish to sing!
But my strings sound out
only love in their tones.
I have changed the strings,
and I would even switch lyres!
Alcides' victory march
should roar forth in its might!
Yet even these new strings sound out
only love in their tones!
So be well, then, heroes!
For my strings will sound out,
instead of suspenseful, heroic song,
only love in their tones.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 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,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) possibly by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE)
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 73