by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856)
Translation Singable translation possibly by Montague Fawcett Phillips (1885 - 1969)
Es stehen unbeweglich
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: FRE
Es stehen unbeweglich die Sterne in ihrer Höh', viel tausend Jahr, und schauen sich an mit Liebesweh. Sie sprechen eine Sprache, die ist so reich, so schön; doch keiner der Philologen kann diese Sprache verstehn. Ich aber hab sie gelernet, und ich vergesse sie nicht; mir diente als Grammatik der Herzallerliebsten Gesicht.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Heinrich Heine, Buch der Lieder, Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg, 1827, page 116.
Text Authorship:
- by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 8 [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- by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Die Sternensprache", 1929, from Drei Heine-Lieder, no. 3, unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
- by Don Forsythe (1932 - 2015), "Es stehen unbeweglich", published c2004-5 [ low voice and piano ], from Eine Dichtererzählung - Herbstzyklus, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Greif (1950 - 2000), "Es stehen unbeweglich", op. 49 (Light music) no. 3c [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858), "Die Sprache der Sterne", op. 6 (Sechs Lieder) no. 6, published 1839 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henry J. Lautz , "Es stehen unbeweglich", op. 5 no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872 - 1951), "Es stehen unbeweglich", op. 1 (Six Songs = Sechs Lieder) no. 2, published 1898, also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
- by Montague Fawcett Phillips (1885 - 1969), "Die Sterne", published 1912, also set in English [sung text not yet checked]
- by Theodor Raillard (1864 - 1929), "Es stehen unbeweglich", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Fünf Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 3, Berlin, Raabe & Plothow [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Oscar Strasnoy (b. 1970), "Es stehen unbeweglich" [ duet for soprano and tenor with piano ], from Heine, no. 4
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation possibly by Montague Fawcett Phillips (1885 - 1969); composed by Montague Fawcett Phillips.
- Also set in English, a translation by James Thomson (1834 - 1882) , appears in The poetical works, first published 1895 ; composed by John Joseph Becker.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Alfred Heller.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Charles Fonteyn Manney (1872 - 1951) , first published 1898 ; composed by Charles Fonteyn Manney.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Holway Atkinson.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Wilhelm Aleksandrovich Sorgenfrei (1882 - 1938) [an adaptation] ; composed by Edison Vasilyevich Denisov.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Charles Beltjens) , no title, appears in Intermezzo lyrique, no. 8, first published 1827
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POL Polish (Polski) (Aleksander Kraushar) , no title, appears in Pieśni Heinego, in Intermezzo, no. 8, first published 1880
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 52
The stars
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
For a thousand years the stars Stay quiet in the skies, And ever at each other gaze With wistful loving eyes. The words they speak together Are beautiful and grand, Yet not the wisest scholar Their speech may understand. But I have read and learnt it, And know it evermore, The face of my belovèd Reveal'd to me their lore.
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation possibly by Montague Fawcett Phillips (1885 - 1969), "The stars" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856), no title, appears in Buch der Lieder, in Lyrisches Intermezzo, no. 8
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Montague Fawcett Phillips (1885 - 1969), "The stars", published 1912, also set in German (Deutsch) [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-03-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 60