Pierre Jean Van der Ouderaa - De koning van Thule

"" ("The King in Thule") is a German poem by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

, written in 1774. Goethe wrote the poem "" as a precursor of "", while he was travelling to

Lahneck Castle Lahneck Castle (German: Burg Lahneck) is a medieval fortress located in the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, south of Koblenz. The 13th-century castle stands on a steep rock salient above the confluence of the Lahn River with th ...

on the river Lahn in July 1774. Under Herder's influence, the setting was changed to the mythical island kingdom

Thule Thule ( grc-gre, Θούλη, Thoúlē; la, Thūlē) is the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature and cartography. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shetland, northern Scotland, the island of Saar ...

, which was thought to be the northernmost place Greek seafarers ventured in antiquity. Goethe used it later in his tragedy ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'' (part I, lines 2759–82) as Gretchen's (Margaret) introduction. It has been set to music by a number of composers, notably

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

Text

Es war ein König in Thule, Gar treu bis an das Grab, Dem sterbend seine Buhle einen goldnen Becher gab. Es ging ihm nichts darüber, Er leert' ihn jeden Schmaus; Die Augen gingen ihm über, So oft er trank daraus. Und als er kam zu sterben, Zählt' er seine Städt' im Reich, Gönnt' alles seinen Erben, Den Becher nicht zugleich. Er saß beim Königsmahle, Die Ritter um ihn her, Auf hohem Vätersaale, Dort auf dem Schloß am Meer. Dort stand der alte Zecher, Trank letzte Lebensglut, Und warf den heiligen Becher Hinunter in die Flut. Er sah ihn stürzen, trinken Und sinken tief ins Meer, die Augen täten ihm sinken, Trank nie einen Tropfen mehr There was a king in Thule, Was faithful till the grave, To whom his mistress, dying, A golden goblet gave. Nought was to him more precious; He drained it at every bout; His eyes with tears ran over, As oft as he drank thereout. When came his time of dying, The towns in his land he told, Nought else to his heir denying Except the goblet of gold. He sat at the royal banquet With his knights of high degree, In the lofty hall of his fathers In the castle by the sea. There stood the old carouser, And drank the last life-glow; And hurled the hallowed goblet Into the tide below. He saw it plunging and filling, And sinking deep in the sea: Then fell his eyelids for ever, And never more drank he!

Reception

The poem attained wide popularity, and was set to music by the following composers: * Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff (1782) *

Johann Friedrich Reichardt Johann Friedrich Reichardt (25 November 1752 – 27 June 1814) was a German composer, writer and music critic. Early life Reichardt was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, to lutenist and ''Stadtmusiker'' Johann Reichardt (1720–1780). Johann Fr ...

(1809) *

Carl Friedrich Zelter Carl Friedrich Zelter (11 December 1758 15 May 1832)Grove/Fuller-Datei:Carl-Friedrich-Zelter.jpegMaitland, 1910. The Zelter entry takes up parts of pages 593-595 of Volume V. was a German composer, conductor and teacher of music. Working in his ...

(1812, facsimile) *

(1816), "Der König in Thule", D 367, Op. 5, Nr. 5 *

Friedrich Silcher Philipp Friedrich Silcher (27 June 1789 in Schnait (today part of Weinstadt) – 26 August 1860 in Tübingen), was a German composer, mainly known for his lieder (songs), and an important Volkslied collector.Luise Marretta-Schär, Silcher, (Philip ...

(1823) * Hector Berlioz, Marguerite's aria in the opera ''

La damnation de Faust ''La damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "''légende dramatique'' ...

'' ("Autrefois un roi de Thulé") *

Heinrich Marschner Heinrich August Marschner (16 August 1795 – 14 December 1861) was the most important composer of German opera between Weber and Wagner.

* Franz Liszt S. 278 (1842–1856), and in ''Buch der Lieder'', S. 531, no. 4 (1843).

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

orchestrated the accompaniment of this version. * Robert Schumann, op. 67, no. 1 (1849) *

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

, Marguerite's aria in the 1859 opera ''

'' ("Il était un roi de Thulé") * Anastazy Wilhelm Dreszer * Jules Massenet, unperformed 1866 opera ''La coupe du roi de Thulé'' *

Hans von Bülow Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for es ...

; for voice and piano (1869)"Hans von Bülow: Der König von Thule"
Munich Digitization Center * Alphons Diepenbrock (1886) * Hans Sommer (1920 or 1921)

References

External links

"Der König in Thule", German text
* (for Schubert's setting) * (for Zelter's setting)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konig In Thule #Der Poetry by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Ballads 1774 poems