Erlkönig

Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er [hat]1 den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er [faßt]1 ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
 
«Mein Sohn, was birgst du so [bang]2 dein Gesicht?» -
«Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron' und Schweif?»
«Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif.»
 
"Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Gar schöne Spiele spiel ich mit dir;
[Manch bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand]3,
[Meine]4 Mutter hat manch [gülden]5 Gewand."
 
«Mein Vater, mein Vater, und [hörest]6 du nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir [leise]7 verspricht?»
«Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind:
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind.»
 
"Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?
Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn
Und [wiegen und tanzen und singen]8 dich ein."
 
«Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am [düstern Ort]9?»
«Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh es genau:
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau.»
 
"[Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt]10;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt."
«Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein [Leids]11 getan!»
 
Dem Vater grauset's, er reitet geschwind,
Er hält [in Armen]12 das ächzende Kind,
Erreicht den Hof mit [Müh']13 und Not:
In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.

View text without footnotes
¹ Spohr: "hält"
² Spohr: "scheu"
³ Harder: "Manch bunte Blumen stehn an dem Strand"; Spohr: "Viel bunte Blumen sind am Strand"
⁴ Spohr: "mein' "
⁵ Spohr: "güldnes"
⁶ Spohr: "hörst"
⁷ Spohr: "heimlich"
⁸ Harder: "singen und tanzen und spielen"
⁹ Harder: "düstern Port"; Spohr und Hille: "düsteren Ort"
¹⁰ Harder: "Ich lieb' dich, mich reizt dein' schöne Gestalt"
¹¹ Harder: "Leides"
¹² Spohr: im Arme
¹³ Harder: "Mühe"

Input by Ofer Sheinberg

Authorship

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) , "Erlkönig"

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

by Gottlob Bachmann (1763-1840) , "Erlkönig", op. 43, published 1798/99?
by Carl Blum (1786-1844) , "Erlkönig", op. 12.
by Max (Traugott Maximillian) Eberwein (1775-1831) , "Erlkönig", 1826.
by August Engelberg (1817-1850) , "Erlkönig", 1841. [voice and piano]
by August Harder (1775-1813) , "Erlkönig", op. 1 (Gesänge für die Guitarre) no. [5] [voice and guitar], Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel
by Johannes Hille , "Erlkönig", op. 10 no. 2, a note on the score suggests that this be sung by three people: one singing the father, one the child, and one the Erlkönig
by Anselm Hüttenbrenner (1794-1868) , "Erlkönig", 1829.
by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793-1832) , "Der Erlkönig", published c1815/6. [voice and piano]
by Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) , "Der Erlkönig", c1948.
by Huub de Lange (1955-) , "Erlkönig", published 2004 [SATB chorus a cappella], from Drei Goethe Lieder, no. 1.
by Tapani Länsiö (1953-) , "Erlkönig", 2002. [chorus and string quartet]
by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe (1796-1869) , "Erlkönig", op. 1 no. 3 (1818).
by Otto Ludwig (1813-1865) , "Der Erlkönig" [soli, chorus, and piano], MS at Goethe-Museum, Düsseldorf
by Émile Louis Victor Mathieu (1844-1932) , "Erlkönig", note: also set in French
by Friedrich Methfessel (1771-1807) , "Erlkönig", published c1805 [voice and guitar], from Zwölf Lieder mit Begleitung der Guitarre, no. 9, Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel
by Carl Borromäus von Miltitz (1780-1845) , "Erlkönig" [mezzo-soprano and piano], Dresden: Bei C. F. Meser
by Anne Sheppard Mounsey , "Erlkönig", note: also set in English
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) , "Erlkönig", published 1794.
by Andreas Jakob Romberg (1767-1821) , "Erlkönig", published 1793.
by Louis Schlottmann (1826-1905) , "Erlkönig", op. 44 (10 Goethe'sche Dichtungen) no. 8, published 1878?
by Julius Schneider (1805-1885) , "Erlkönig", 1828.
by Corona Elisabeth Wilhelmine Schröter (1751-1802) , "Der Erlkönig", 1782.
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) , "Erlkönig", op. 1, D. 328 (1815), published 1821.
by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (1784-1859) , "Erlkönig", op. 154 no. 4 (1856), from Sechs Lieder für Bariton mit Begleitung von Violine und Klavier, no. 4.
by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774-1850) , "Erlkönig", op. 59 (Gedichte von Goethe: VII) no. 1 (1815?)
by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758-1832) , "Der Erlkönig", 1797.

by John Wall Callcott (1766-1821) , "The Erl King" [thre-part glee]

by Anne Sheppard Mounsey , "The Erl King", note: also set in German

by Émile Louis Victor Mathieu (1844-1932) , "Le Roi des Aulnes", note: also set in German

ENG English (Walter Meyer)
FIN Finnish (Erkki Pullinen)
SPA Spanish (unknown or anonymous translator)
DUT Dutch [singable] (Lau Kanen)
ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani)
ITA Italian (Amelia Maria Imbarrato)
ENG English (Knut W. Barde)
ENG English (Sir Walter Scott)
FRE French (Antoine Pelletier)
FRE French (Pierre Mathé)
GER German [singable] (Walter A. Aue)

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

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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Who's riding so late through night, so wild?

Who's riding so late through night, so wild?
It is the father who's holding his child;
He's tucked the boy secure in his arm,
He holds him tight and keeps him warm.

My son, why hide you your face in fear?"
See you not, father, the Erl King near?
The Erl King in his crown and train?"
My son, 'tis but a foggy strain."

Sweet lovely child, come, go with me!
What wonderful games I'll play with thee;
Flowers, most colorful, yours to behold.
My mother for you has garments of gold."

My father, my father, and can you not hear
What Erl King is promising into my ear?"
Be calm, stay calm, o child of mine;
The wind through dried leaves is rustling so fine." 

Wouldst thou, fine lad, go forth with me?
My daughters should royally wait upon thee;
My daughters conduct each night their song fest
To swing and to dance and to sing thee to rest."

My Father, my father, and can you not see
Erl King's daughters, there by the tree?" 
My son, my son, I see it clear;
The ancient willows so grey do appear."  

I love thee, I'm aroused  by thy beautiful form;
And be thou not willing, I'll take thee by storm."
My father, my father, he's clutching my arm!
Erl King has done me a painful harm!"

The father shudders and onward presses;
The gasping child in his arms he caresses;
He reaches the courtyard, and barely inside,
He holds in his arms the child who has died.

Authorship

Translation from German to English copyright © 1995 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) , "Erlkönig" DUT ITA FRE GER FIN SPA

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