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by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
Translation © by Shawn Thuris
Des Menschen Seele
Language: German (Deutsch)
Des Menschen Seele Gleicht dem Wasser: Vom Himmel kommt es, Zum Himmel steigt es, Und wieder nieder Zur Erde muß es, Ewig wechselnd. Strömt von der hohen, Steilen Felswand Der reine Strahl, Dann stäubt er lieblich In Wolkenwellen Zum glatten Fels, Und leicht empfangen, Wallt [er verschleiernd]1, [Leisrauschend]2, Zur Tiefe nieder. Ragen Klippen Dem [Sturz']3 entgegen, Schäumt er unmuthig Stufenweise [Zum]4 Abgrund. Im flachen [Bette]5 [Schleicht]6 er das Wiesenthal hin, Und in dem glatten See Weiden ihr Antlitz Alle Gestirne. Wind ist der Welle Lieblicher [Buhler]7; Wind mischt [vom]8 Grund aus Schäumende [Wogen]9. Seele des Menschen, Wie [gleichst]10 du dem Wasser! Schicksal des Menschen, Wie gleichst du dem Wind!
E. Schneider sets stanzas 1, 6
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, pages 58-59; and with Goethe's Schriften, Achter Band, Leipzig, bey Georg Joachim Göschen, 1789, pages 187-188.
1 Schubert (D. 538): "verschleiernd"; and "er verrauschend" in the repetition2 Schubert (D. 484): "Leisrauschend dann"
3 Goethe (1789 edition): "Sturze"
4 Schubert (D. 484): "Zu dem"
5 Schubert (D. 538 and 714): "Beete"
6 Schubert (D. 484): "Schleichet"
7 Schubert (Alte Gesamtausgabe): "Buhle"
8 Schubert (D. 484 and 538): "von"
9 Schubert (D. 714, Alte Gesamtausgabe): "Wellen"
10 Schubert (D. 484): "gleich"
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", written 1779, first published 1789 [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 Danielle Baas (b. 1958), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", op. 48a (1998) [ soprano and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Reinhard Berger (1861 - 1911), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern ", op. 55, published 1893 [ four-part mixed chorus and orchestra ], Berlin, Plothow [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael Gees (b. 1953), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", op. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ferdinand von Hiller (1811 - 1885), "Gesang der Geister über dem Wasser", op. 36, published 1847 [ chorus and orchestra ], Berlin, Guttentag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", op. 88 (1840) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Dietrich Manicke (b. 1923), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", 1994, from Drei Gesänge nach Texten von Goethe und Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonio Müller-Herrneck , "Gesang der Geister über dem Wasser", published 1899 [ alto and piano ], from Acht Lieder für Alt-Stimme mit Pianofortebegleitung, no. 1, Frankfurt a/M., Steyl & Thomas [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johannes Schild (b. 1960), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", 1997 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Enjott Schneider (b. 1950), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern (Des Menschen Seele gleicht dem Wasser)", 2020, stanzas 1,6 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Lieder der Natur, no. 3, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", D 484 (1816), published 1895 [ voice, piano ], first setting; fragment, completed by Reinhard van Hoorickx [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", D 538 (1817), published 1891 [ ttbb quartet ], second setting [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", D 705 (1820), published 1897 [ ttbb quartet with piano ], third setting; fragment, completed (up to stanza 4) by Eugene Asti [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", op. posth. 167, D 714 (1820), published 1858 [ men's chorus with strings ], fourth setting [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Franz Peter Schubert (1797 - 1828), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", D 704, note: D. 704 has been removed and included as the first version in D. 714 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Eduard Steuermann (1892 - 1964), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", 1931 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Gezang der geesten over de wateren", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Shawn Thuris) , "Song of the spirits over the waters", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Chant des esprits sur les eaux", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Canto degli spiriti sopra le acque", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Martin-Beatus Meier , Peter Rastl [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 35
Word count: 109
Song of the spirits over the waters
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
The soul of man Is like the water: It comes from heaven, It returns to heaven, And down again To earth must go, Ever changing. When from the high, Sheer wall of rock The pure stream gushes, It sprays its lovely vapor In billowing clouds Towards the smooth rock, And lightly received, It goes enshrouded, Softly hissing Down to the deep. Cliffs tower, Opposing its fall. Annoyed, it foams Step by step Into the abyss. In a flat bed It slinks down the grassy vale, And in the waveless lake All the stars Feast on their likeness. Wind is the wave's Handsome suitor; Wind stirs up from the depths Foaming billows. Soul of man, How like to the water! Fate of man, How like to the wind!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Shawn Thuris, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), "Gesang der Geister über den Wassern", written 1779, first published 1789
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 35
Word count: 127