Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen...

Kennst du das Land, wo die [Zitronen]1 blühn,
Im dunkeln Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn,
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht, 
Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht? 
Kennst du es wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn.

Kennst du das Haus? Auf Säulen ruht sein Dach.
Es glänzt der Saal, es schimmert das Gemach,
Und Marmorbilder stehn und sehn mich an:
Was hat man dir, du armes Kind, getan?
Kennst du es wohl? 
Dahin! dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Beschützer, ziehn.

Kennst du den Berg und seinen Wolkensteg?
Das Maultier sucht im Nebel seinen Weg;
In Höhlen wohnt der Drachen alte Brut;
Es stürzt der Fels und über ihn die Flut! 
Kennst du ihn wohl?
Dahin! dahin
Geht unser Weg! O Vater, laß uns ziehn!

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) , no title, from Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Book III, Chapter 1

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

by Ludwig Abeille (1761-1838) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien"
by Wilhelm Baumgartner (1820-1867) , "Mignon", op. 1 (Sechs Lieder für 4 Männerstimmen) no. 1. [four men's voices]
by Bror Beckman (1866-1922) , "Kennst du das Land?", 1906.
by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) , "Mignon", op. 75 no. 1 (1809), stanza 1.
by Alban Maria Johannes Berg (1885-1935) , "Mignon", 1907, stanza 1, from Jugendlieder.
by Carl Blum (1786-1844) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien", c1820.
by Leopold Damrosch (1832-1885) , "Mignon", op. 17 no. 2.
by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921) , "Mignon", 1884, published 1889. [low voice and piano]
by John Woods Duke (1899-1984) , "Kennst du das Land?"
by Zdenko Antonín Václav Fibich (1850-1900) , "Kennst du das Land?", 1871.
by Carl Gollmick (1796-1866) , "Lied der Mignon", c1828/9.
by Friedrich Götzloff , "Aus dem Wilhelm Meister", c1806.
by August Ferdinand Häser (1779-1844) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien", 1819.
by Moritz Hauptmann (1792-1868) , "Mignon", op. 37 no. 1, published 1852?
by Georg Jakob Ernst Häusler (c1760-1837) , "Kennst du das Land wo die Cytronen blühn?", 1799.
by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793-1832) , "Mignonslied", published 1836. [voice and piano]
by Bernhard (Joseph) Klein (1793-1832) , "Mignon", op. 15 (Neun Lieder von Goethe) no. 8, published 1827/32. [voice and piano]
by Joseph Klein (1802-1862) , "Mignon", published 1836 [voice and piano], from Sechs Gedichte aus Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahren, von Goethe, no. 1.
by Karl Johan Krook (1860-1931) , "Kennst du das Land", 1922. [voice and piano]
by Nikolaus, Freiherr von Krufft (1779-1818) , "Kennst du das Land", published 1812.
by Huub de Lange (1955-) , "Mignon", published 2006 [SATB chorus and piano], from Myrte Lieder, no. 1.
by Leopold Lenz (1803-1862) , "Kennst du das Land", op. 12 no. 1, published 1832 [low soprano or baritone and piano], from Mignon der Harfner und Philine ein Cyclus von acht Gesaengen aus "Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre", no. 1.
by Hélène Liebmann, née Riese (1796-1819+) , "Kennst du das Land?", op. 4, published 1811.
by Franz (Ferencz) Liszt (1811-1886) , "Mignons Lied", S. 275 (1842), rev. 1848.
by Oswald Lorenz (1806-1889) , "Mignons Lied", published 1838. [voice and guitar]
by Franz Anton Maurer (1777-1803) , "Kennst du das Land" [voice and piano], from Drey Lieder, no. 1, München: In der Falterischen Musikhandlung
by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847) , "Sehnsucht nach Italien", 1822.
by Ignaz von Mosel (1772-1844) , "Das Lied der Mignon", published 1823 [voice and piano], from Sechs Gedichte, no. 2.
by Hans Georg Nägeli (1773-1836) , "Mignon", c1795-7 [voice and piano], sketch
by Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) , "Italien", published 1795-96.
by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829-1894) , "Mignon", op. 91 no. 4, from Die Gedichte und das Requiem fur Mignon aus Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahre", no. 4.
by Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957) , "Kennst du das Land?", WoO. 92 (1903?)
by Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) , "Kennst du das Land? (Mignons Gesang)", D. 321 (1815), published 1832.
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Kennst du das Land?", op. 79 (Liederalbum für die Jugend) no. 29.
by Robert Alexander Schumann (1810-1856) , "Kennst du das Land?", op. 98a no. 1 (1849).
by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (1784-1859) , "Mignons Lied", op. 37 (Sechs deutsche Lieder) no. 1 (1816).
by Gaspare Spontini (1774-1851) , "Mignon", 1830?
by Václav Jan Křtitel Tomášek (1774-1850) , "Mignons Sehnsucht", op. 54 no. 1 (1815?)
by Martin Wegelius (1846-1906) , "Kennst du das Land", 1875.
by Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) , "Mignon: Kennst du das Land?", 1888, from Goethe-Lieder, no. 9.
by Erich J. Wolff (1874-1913) , "Mignon", op. 15 (Drei Lieder von Goethe) no. 1, published 1907. [voice and piano]
by Karl Friedrich Zelter (1758-1832) , "Kennst du das Land?", 1795.

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) , "Pesn' Min'ony", op. 25 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 3.

by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) , "Connais-tu le pays", from the opera Mignon, no. ?, also set in Italian

by Charles Gounod (1818-1893) , "Mignon", 1871, published 1871.

by (Marie Eugène) Henri (Fouques) Duparc (1848-1933) , "Romance de Mignon", 1869.

by Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872) , "Wezwanie do Neapolu"

by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) , "Non conosci il bel suol", from the opera Mignon, no. ?, also set in French

ENG English (Walter Meyer)
ITA Italian (Paolo Montanari)
ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani)
DUT Dutch [singable] (Lau Kanen)
FRE French (Pierre Mathé)
ENG English [singable] (John Bernhoff)

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

Notes about green, red, and white dots

Gentle Reminder

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Knowest thou where?

 Knowest thou where the lemon blossom grows,
 In foliage dark the orange golden glows,
 A gentle breeze blows from the azure sky,
 Still stands the myrtle, and the laurel, high?
 Dost know it well?
 'Tis there! 'Tis there
 Would I with thee, oh my beloved, fare.

 Knowest the house, its roof on columns fine?
 Its hall glows brightly and its chambers shine,
 And marble figures stand and gaze at me:
 What have they done, oh wretched child, to thee?
 Dost know it well?
 'Tis there! 'Tis there
 Would I with thee, oh my protector, fare.

 Knowest the mountain with the misty shrouds?
 The mule is seeking passage through the clouds;
 In caverns dwells the dragons' ancient brood;
 The cliff rocks plunge under the rushing flood!
 Dost know it well?
 'Tis there! 'Tis there
 Leads our path! Oh father, let us fare.

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) , no title, from Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre, Book III, Chapter 1 DUT RUS ITA FRE POL

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