Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt Ach! der ist bald allein, Ein jeder lebt, ein jeder liebt, Und läßt ihn seiner [Pein]1. Ja, laßt mich meiner [Qual]2! Und kann ich nur einmal Recht einsam seyn, Dann bin ich nicht allein. Es schleicht ein Liebender lauschend [sacht]3! Ob seine Freundin allein? So überschleicht bei Tag und Nacht Mich Einsamen die Pein, Mich Einsamen die Qual. Ach werd ich erst einmal Einsam in Grabe seyn, [Da]4 läßt [sie]5 mich allein!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Zweyter Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1827, page 120; and with Goethe's Werke. Vollständige Ausgabe letzter Hand. Achtzehnter Band. Stuttgart und Tübingen, in der J.G.Cotta'schen Buchhandlung. 1828, pages 219-220.
First published in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. Ein Roman. Herausgegeben von Goethe. Erster Band. Berlin. Bey Johann Friedrich Unger. 1795, pages 348-349. The poem appears in Book 2, Chapter 13 of Goethe's novel.
1 Schubert (D.325): "Qual"2 Schubert (D.325): "Pein"
3 Schubert (D.478/2, first version): "ach"
4 Zelter: "Dann"
5 Schubert (autograph of D.325): "ihr"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Harfenspieler", written <<1783, appears in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, first published 1795 [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 Michael Brough (b. 1960), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", op. 14 no. 1 (2000) [ voice and piano ], from Harfenspieler -- 3 Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Aloys Theodor Commer (1813 - 1887), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergiebt", op. 86 no. 2, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder aus Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 2, Berlin, Trautwein [sung text not yet checked]
- by Zdenko Antonín Václav Fibich (1850 - 1900), "Des Harfners Lied (Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt)", H. 134 no. 8 (1871), published 1893, first performed 1914, from Aus Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahren, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Theodor Flodin (1858 - 1925), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", 1908 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich (1803 - 1836), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", op. 3 no. 5 [ bass and piano ], from Acht deutsche Canzonetten für Bass, no. 5, Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Karl) Georg Göhler (1874 - 1954), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt1" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847), "Harfners Lied", 1825 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Christoph Kienlen (1783 - 1829), "Lied des Harfenspielers", published 1810, from Zwölf Lieder von Goethe, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leopold Lenz (1803 - 1862), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", op. 12 no. 6, published 1832 [ low soprano or baritone and piano ], from Mignon der Harfner und Philine ein Cyclus von acht Gesaengen aus "Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre", no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arnold Mendelssohn (1855 - 1933), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", published 1900 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge, no. 26c, Berlin, Ries & Erler [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752 - 1814), "Einsamkeit", published 1795-6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ján Josef Rösler (1771 - 1813), "Lied des alten Harfners aus Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre", published [1803] [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Gesänge mit Begleitung des Pianoforte in Musik gesetzt von Jos. Rösler. Zweite Sammlung, no. 1, Leipzig: Bei Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", op. 91 no. 3, from Die Gedichte und das Requiem fur Mignon aus Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahre", no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Harfenspieler", D 325 (1815), published 1895 [ voice, piano ], first setting [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Harfenspieler I", op. 12 (Harfenspieler aus Goethe's Wilhelm Meister) no. 1, D 478 no. 1 (1816), published 1822, second setting (two versions: 1816 and 1822) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", op. 98a no. 6 (1849), published 1851 [ baritone and piano ], from Lieder und Gesänge aus dem "Wilhelm Meister" von Goethe, no. 6, Leipzig, Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Harfenspieler I", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Goethe-Lieder, no. 1, Mainz, Schott [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758 - 1832), "Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt", Z 120 no. 10 (1795) [ voice and piano ], from 12 Lieder, no. 10, Berlin und Leipzig, Carl August Nicolai [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Wie aan de eenzaamheid zich wijdt", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "He who gives himself over to solitude", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GRE Greek (Ελληνικά) [singable] (Christakis Poumbouris) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Amelia Maria Imbarrato) , "Chi sceglie solitudine", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (unknown or anonymous translator) , written 2012
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 77
He who gives himself over to solitude, ah! he is soon alone; everyone lives, everyone loves, and everyone leaves him to his pain. Yes! Leave me to my torment! And can I only once be truly lonely, then I will not be alone. A lover creeps up and listens softly - is his beloved alone? So, both day and night, does the pain creep up on my solitude, and the torment creep up on my loneliness. Ah! only once, when I am alone in my grave, will it then truly leave me alone!
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:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Harfenspieler", written <<1783, appears in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, first published 1795
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 92