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Walle, Regen, walle nieder, Wecke [mir die Träume]1 wieder, Die [ich in der]2 Kindheit träumte, Wenn das Naß im Sande schäumte! Wenn die matte Sommerschwüle Lässig stritt mit frischer Kühle, Und die blanken Blätter [thauten]3, Und die Saaten dunkler blauten. Welche Wonne, in dem Fließen Dann zu stehn mit nackten Füßen, An dem Grase hinzustreifen Und den Schaum mit Händen greifen, Oder mit den heißen Wangen Kalte Tropfen aufzufangen, Und den neu erwachten Düften Seine Kinderbrust zu lüften! Wie die Kelche, die da troffen, Stand die Seele athmend offen, Wie die Blumen, düftetrunken, In dem Himmelsthau versunken. Schauernd kühlte jeder Tropfen Tief bis an des Herzens Klopfen, Und der Schöpfung heilig Weben Drang bis ins verborgne Leben. -- Walle, Regen, walle nieder, Wecke [meine]4 alten Lieder, Die wir in der Thüre sangen, Wenn die Tropfen draußen klangen! Möchte ihnen wieder lauschen, Ihrem süßen, feuchten Rauschen, Meine Seele sanft bethauen Mit [dem frommen Kindergrauen]5.
Confirmed with Deutsche Lyrik seit Goethe's Tode. Ausgewählt von Maximilian Bern, Neue Ausgabe, Vierzehnte, verbesserte Auflage, Leipzig, Druck und Verlag von Philipp Reclam, 1886, pages 189-190. Modern spelling would change "thauten" to "tauten", "athmend" to "atmend", "Himmelsthau" to "Himmelstau", "Thüre" to "Türe", etc.
1 Wallnöfer: "all' die Bilder"2 Wallnöfer: "sich uns're"
3 Wallnöfer: "schauten"
4 Wallnöfer: "all' die"
5 Wallnöfer: "den frommen Kinderaugen"
Text Authorship:
- by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Regenlied", first published 1854 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Regenlied", op. 59 (Acht Lieder und Gesänge) no. 3 (1873), published 1880 [ low voice and piano ], Leipzig, Rieter-Biedermann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henri Marteau (1874 - 1934), "Regenlied", op. 28 (Acht Gesänge) no. 6, published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adolf Wallnöfer (1854 - 1946), "Regenlied", op. 97 (Duette für hohe und tiefe stimmen) no. 5 [ vocal duet with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Cançó de la pluja", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Regenlied", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Rain Song", copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Chant de pluie", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "Lied de la lluvia", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 152
Pour, rain, pour down, Awaken again in me those dreams That I dreamt in childhood, When the wetness foamed in the sand! When the dull summer sultriness Struggled languidly against the fresh coolness, And the shiny leaves dripped with dew, And the crops were dyed a deeper blue. What bliss to stand in the downpour With naked feet, To roam in the grass And seize the foam in one's hands! Or with one's hot cheeks To catch the cold drops; And to the newly-awakened fragrances To open one's childlike bosom! Like the flower's chalices that dripped there, The soul stood breathing openly, Like the flowers, drunk with fragrance, Submerged in the dew of the Heavens. Every drop cooled with a tremor Deep down to the heart's very beating, And Creation's holy weaving Pierced into one's hidden life. Pour, rain, pour down, Awaken the old songs That we used to sing in the doorway When the raindrops pattered outside! I would like to listen to them again -- To their sweet, damp rushing -- To gently bedew my soul With the devout terror I felt as a child.
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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Klaus Groth (1819 - 1899), "Regenlied", first published 1854
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 185