schumann indicates that the strophes containing the

This poem is composed primarily of symbols that can be interpreted both literally and figuratively, the point this analysis will be pursuing. The speaker can be interpreted as either going to a forest or as already being in the forest, a place that is beautiful for its solitude. The text of this poem is simple in meaning.

The big difference is the change in key, as the A′ section is in B minor before the song modulates back to the home key, F ♯ minor. There is a recurring motif between the A and A′ sections, and the difference between the two sections can be found in sparse accidentals and different intervals that make the variations on the original motif. The form could also be interpreted as A–B–A′ if the focus is predominantly on the vocal line. The final section is new material it 'echoes the last line of the first quatrain stands in for a return of the entire quatrain”, but does not constitute a restatement of the A section. The second section (B) has all new melodic material and is in a major mode which contrasts with the A section. Though they are in different keys, the first and third sections (A) have nearly the same melody and comparable harmonic structures. It can be argued that 'In der Fremde' takes an A–B–A–C form. The modulations are not directly congruent with the stanza changes, which points to a through-composed piece. With each modulation, the melody changes. Within each of these keys, the general structure is comparable, but the last significant section ( mm 22–28) is strikingly different. The harmonic pattern is inconsistent enough to be through composed: The piece modulates from F ♯ minor, to A major, to B minor, then back to F ♯ minor. The evidence that 'In der Fremde' is through-composed is found in both the melody and the harmony. The form of 'In der Fremde' is ambiguous: there are arguments that it is through-composed and that it is in the A–B–A form.

Schumann indicates that the strophes containing the