Das Veilchen

Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand,
Gebückt in sich und unbekannt;
Es war ein herzigs Veilchen.
[Da]1 kam [eine]2 junge Schäferin
Mit leichtem [Schritt]3 und [muntrem]4 Sinn
Daher, daher,
Die Wiese her, und sang.

Ach! denkt das Veilchen, wär ich nur
Die schönste Blume der Natur,
Ach, nur ein kleines Weilchen,
Bis mich das Liebchen abgepflückt
Und an dem Busen matt gedrückt!
Ach nur, ach nur
Ein Viertelstündchen lang!

Ach! aber ach! das Mädchen kam
Und nicht in Acht das Veilchen nahm,
Ertrat das arme Veilchen.
Es sank und starb und freut' sich noch:
Und sterb' ich denn, so sterb' ich doch
Durch sie, durch sie,
Zu ihren Füßen doch.

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) , "Das Veilchen", from Erwin und Elmire

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Johann André (1741-1799) , "Das Veilchen", 1774.
by Anna Amalia, Herzogin von Sachsen-Weimar (1739-1807) , "Das Veilchen", 1776.
by Christian Wilhelm Heydenreich , "Das Veilchen"
by Friedrich Heinrich Himmel (1765-1814) , "Das Veilchen", c1807.
by Philipp Christoph Kayser (1755-1823) , "Romanze", 1776.
by Peter Joseph Lindpaintner (1791-1856) , "Das Veilchen", published c1815 [voice and guitar or piano], from Zwölf Lieder, no. 9.
by Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880-1951) , "Das Veilchen", op. 18 no. 5 (1908-9), from Sechs Gedichte von Goethe, no. 5.
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) , "Das Veilchen", K. 476 (1785).
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) , "Aus Erwin und Elmire", published 1780.
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) , "Das Veilchen", published 1788.
by Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957) , "Aus Erwin und Elmire", op. 25 no. 5, published 1919.
by Clara Schumann, née Wieck (1819-1896) , "Ein Veilchen", 1853. [voice and piano]
by Karl Sigmund Freiherr von Seckendorff (1744-1785) , "Das Veilchen"
by Josef Antonín Štěpán (1726-1797) , "Das Veilchen auf der Wiese", published 1778-9.
by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774-1850) , "Das Veilchen", op. 57 (Gedichte von Goethe: V) no. 1 (1815?). [voice and piano]

by Halfdan Kjerulf (1815-1868) , "Violen", op. 1 (Seks sange) no. 6. [voice and piano]

ENG English (Walter Meyer)
SPA Spanish (The Schiller Institute)
ITA Italian (Amelia Maria Imbarrato)
SPA Spanish (Elisa Rapado)
DUT Dutch [singable] (Lau Kanen)
FRE French (Pierre Mathé)
NOR Norwegian (Bokmål) (Marianne Beate Kielland)

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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A violet stood upon the lea

A violet stood upon the lea,
Hunched o'er in anonymity;
So amiable a violet!
Along there came a young shepherdess
Light paced, full of contentedness
Along, along,
The lea, and sang her song.

Ah!" thinks the violet, "were I just
The fairest flower in the dust
For just a little while yet,
Until that darling seizes me
And to her bosom squeezes me!
For just, for just
A quarter hour long!"

Ah! And alas!  There came the maid
And no heed to the violet paid,
Crushed the poor little violet.
It sank and died, yet filled with pride:
And though I die, I shall have died
Through her, through her,
And at her feet have died."

Translation from German to English copyright © 1996 by Walter Meyer, walterm (AT) erols.com, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. Please contact the copyright-holder when requesting permission to reprint.

a text in German by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) , "Das Veilchen", from Erwin und Elmire DUT NOR DAN ITA FRE SPA

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.