by Felix Ludwig Julius Dahn (1834 - 1912)
Translation Singable translation by William Wallace (1860 - 1940)
Lied der Walküre
Language: German (Deutsch)
Froh sah ich dich aufblühn, du freudiger Held, Lang folgt' ich dir schwebend und schweigend gesellt. Oft küßt' ich des Schlummernden Schläfe gelind, Und leise die Locken, die [dir]1 wehen im Wind. Hoch flog ich zu Häupten, – du kanntest mich kaum – Durch die Wipfel der Wälder, dein Trost und dein Traum. Ich brach vor dem Bugspriet durch Brandung dir Bahn, Vor dem Schiffe dir schwamm ich, weiss-schwingig, ein Schwan. Ich zog dir zum Ziele den zischenden Pfeil, Aufriß ich das Roß dir, das gestrauchelt am Steil. Oft fing ich des Feindes geschwungenes Schwert, Lang hab' ich die Lanzen vom Leib dir gewehrt. Und nun, da die Norne den Tod dir verhängt, Hab' ich dir den schnellsten, den schönsten geschenkt. „Sieg!” riefest du selig, „Sieg, Sieg allerwärts!” Da lenkt' ich die Lanze dir ins herrliche Herz. Du lächeltest leiblich – ich umfing dich im Fall – Ich küsse die Wunde – und nun auf: – nach Walhall!
View original text (without footnotes)
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , David A. Poirier
Confirmed with Felix Dahns Sämtliche Werke. Poetischen Inhalts. Neue Folge. Band III. Walhall, Leipzig, Breitkopf & Hártel, 1903, page 161, a footnote.
1 Weingartner: "da"Authorship:
- by Felix Ludwig Julius Dahn (1834 - 1912), "Lied der Walküre" [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 Marie Charlotte Henriette von Kehler (1822 - 1882), "Lied der Walküre", op. 12 (Sechs Lieder für 1 mittlere Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1894 [ medium voice and piano ], Kassel, Kuprion Nachf. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Schläger (1820 - 1885), "Lied der Walküre", op. 42 (Drei Lieder) no. 1, published 1878 [ voice and piano ], Wien, Kratochwill [sung text not yet checked]
- by Felix Paul Weingartner (1863 - 1942), "Lied der Walküre", op. 36 (4 Gesänge) no. 4 (1901-1903), published 1904 [ soprano and orchestra ], Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (William Wallace) , "The song of the Valkyr"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , David A. Poirier
This text was added to the website: 2015-02-24
Line count: 18
Word count: 158
The song of the Valkyr
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
Joyful I watched o’er thee, thou glorious soul, Thy silent companion, I followed thy flights. I kissed thee asleep with a tender embrace, Caressing thy forehead with its windwafted hair. O’er forest and mountain together we sped: I was near thee to tend thee, to keep thee from harm. I ploughed through the sea-surge to mark out thy course, Before thy gaily swam I, white-winged, a swan. I guided thine arrow in flight to its goal, I guarded the footsteps of thy wavering steed. Oft I fended the sword that was swung by the foe. Lances turned I from thee that threatened to slay. But now, since the Norns have decreed thee to death, Thou shall have the swiftest, the fairest of all. Hail! thine is the victory! Victory, shout to the skies! As now with my lance I pierce thy gloriouos heart. Thous smilest so sweetly. In my arms thou dost swoon: I kiss the wound that I gave thee, now away to Valhall!
Authorship:
- Singable translation by William Wallace (1860 - 1940), "The song of the Valkyr" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Felix Ludwig Julius Dahn (1834 - 1912), "Lied der Walküre"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-10-08
Line count: 18
Word count: 165