Du kleine grünumwachsne Quelle, An der ich Daphne jüngst gesehn! Dein Wasser war so still! [so]1 helle! Und Daphne's Bild darin, so schön! O, wenn sie sich noch mahl am Ufer sehen läßt, So halte du ihr schönes Bild doch fest; Ich schleiche heimlich [denn]2 mit naßen Augen hin, Dem [Bilde]3 meine Noth zu klagen; Denn, wenn ich bey ihr selber bin, [Denn]2, ach! [denn]2 kann ich ihr nichts sagen.
Confirmed with ASMUS omnia sua SECUM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, I. und II. Theil. Beym Verfasser, und in Commißion bey Fr. Perthes in Hamburg. [1774], page 154; with ASMUS omnia sua SECUM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, Erster und zweiter Theil. Wandsbeck, 1774. Beym Verfasser, page 93; and with ASMVS omnia sua SECVM portans, oder Sämmtliche Werke des Wandsbecker Bothen, I. und II. Theil. Carlsruhe, bey Christian Gottlieb Schmieder. 1784, page 154.
First published in 1764 in a slightly different version in Tändeleyen und Erzählungen, see below.
1 Schubert: "und"2 Claudius (Wandsbeck 1774 edition), and Kraus, Schubert: "dann"
3 Claudius (Carlsruhe, 1784 edition), and Kraus, Schubert: "Bild"
Text Authorship:
- by Matthias Claudius (1740 - 1815), "An eine Quelle", written 1760, first published 1764 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Joseph Martin Kraus (1756 - 1792), "An eine Quelle", VB 75 (1783) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "An eine Quelle", op. posth. 109 (Drei Lieder) no. 3, D 530 (1817), published 1829 [ voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "A una font", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Tot een bron", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "To a spring", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "À une source", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "A una fonte", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 70