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by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871)
Translation © by Lau Kanen

Walpurgisnacht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  CAT DUT ENG
Lieb Mutter, heut Nacht heulte Regen und Wind. 
-- Ist heute der erste Mai, liebes Kind! 

[Liebe]1 Mutter, es donnerte auf dem Brocken oben. 
-- [Liebes]1 Kind, es waren die Hexen droben.

Liebe Mutter, ich möcht' keine Hexen sehn.
-- Liebes Kind, es ist wohl schon oft geschehn.

Liebe Mutter, ob [wohl im Dorf]2 Hexen sind? 
-- [Sind]3 dir wohl näher, mein liebes Kind.

Ach Mutter, worauf fliegen die Hexen zum Berg? 
-- Auf Nebel, auf Rauch, auf loderndem Werg. 

Ach Mutter, was reiten die Hexen beim Spiel? 
-- Sie reiten, sie reiten den Besenstiel. 

Ach Mutter, was fegten im Dorfe die Besen! 
-- Es sind auch viel Hexen auf'm Berge gewesen.

Ach Mutter, was hat es im Schornstein gekracht. 
-- Es flog auch wohl Eine hinaus über Nacht.

Ach Mutter, dein Besen war [in der Nacht nicht zuhaus]4.
-- Lieb's Kind, so war er zum Brocken hinaus.

Ach Mutter, dein Bette war leer in der Nacht.
-- Deine Mutter hat oben auf dem Blocksberg gewacht.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   J. Brahms 

View original text (without footnotes)

Confirmed with Balladen von W. Alexis, Berlin, Ferdinand Dümmler, 1836, pages 8-9.

1 Brahms: "Lieb"
2 Brahms: "im Dorf wohl"
3 Brahms: "Sie sind"
4 Brahms: "die Nacht nicht zu Haus" (first edition); and later, "die Nacht nicht im Haus"

Text Authorship:

  • by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), "Walpurgisnacht", appears in Balladen, first published 1836 [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 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), "Walpurgisnacht", op. 75 (Vier Balladen und Romanzen) no. 4 (1878), published 1878 [ vocal duet for 2 sopranos with piano ], Berlin, Simrock [sung text checked 1 time]

Set in a modified version by Carl Loewe.

  • Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG FRE ITA

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "La nit de Walpurgis", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Lau Kanen) , "Walpurgisnacht", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Walpurgis Night", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2015-02-04
Line count: 20
Word count: 162

Walpurgisnacht
Language: Dutch (Nederlands)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Lieve moeder, vannacht huilden regen en wind,
“’t Is net nu de eerste mei, lieve kind.”
 
Lieve moeder, het donderde op de Brocken1 daarboven.
“Lief kind, dat waren de heksen boven.”
 
Lieve moeder, nee heksen, die zie ‘k niet graag.
“Lieve kind, ze zijn al gezien heel vaak.”
 
Lieve moeder, of j’ in ‘t dorp ook heksen vindt?
“Ze zijn hier ook vlakbij, mijn lieve kind.”
 
Ach moeder, waarop vliegen de heksen omhoog?
“Op nevel, op werk2, op walmende rook.”
 
Ach moeder, hoe rijden de heksen bij ‘t spel?
“Op een3 bezemsteel, want daarop gaan zij snel.”
 
Ach moeder, wat veegden in ‘t dorp toch veel bezems!
“Ik zag op de Brocken ook veel heksen daar sjezen.”
 
Ach moeder, het heeft in de schouw zo gekraakt!
“Er heeft er vast één ook een rondvlucht gemaakt.”
 
Ach moeder, je bezem is vannacht weg geweest.
“Lief kind, dan was hij naar ‘t  Blocksbergse feest.”
 
Ach moeder, je bed, het was leeg deze nacht.
“Ja, je moeder heeft die op de berg doorgebracht.”

View original text (without footnotes)

Note: this is a translation of the version set by Brahms.

1 De Brocken, de hoogste berg van Noord-Duitsland, is gelegen in de Harz. Wordt ook Blocksberg genoemd en is met vele legenden omgeven.
2 Werk = vlastouw
3 Op een: bij Brahms te zingen op twee achtsten

Text Authorship:

  • Singable translation from German (Deutsch) to Dutch (Nederlands) copyright © 2015 by Lau Kanen, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.

    Lau Kanen.  Contact: boudewijnkanen (AT) gmail (DOT) com


    If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to: licenses@email.lieder.example.net


Based on:

  • a text in German (Deutsch) by Wilhelm Häring (1798 - 1871), "Walpurgisnacht", appears in Balladen, first published 1836
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2015-02-03
Line count: 20
Word count: 174

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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