Mausfallensprüchlein

Kleine Gäste, kleines Haus.
Liebe Mäusin oder Maus,
[Stell]1 dich nur kecklich ein
[Heut']2 nacht bei Mondenschein!
Mach aber die Tür fein hinter dir zu,
Hörst du?
Dabei hüte dein Schwänzchen!
Nach Tische singen wir,
Nach Tische springen wir
Und machen ein Tänzchen:
Witt witt!
Meine alte Katze tanzt wahrscheinlich mit.

Translation(s): ENG ENG FRE ITA

List of language codes

View original text (without footnotes)
The poem has this at the head: "(Das Kind geht dreimal um die Falle und spricht:)"
¹ Wolf: "Stelle"
² Wolf: "Heute"

Submitted by Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Authorship

• by Eduard Mörike (1804 - 1875), "Mausfallen-Sprüchlein" [ author's text checked 1 time]

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

• by Gary Bachlund , "Mausfallen-Sprüchlein", 2009. [medium voice or high voice and piano] [
   text verified 1 time
  ]
• by Hugo Distler (1908 - 1942), "Mausfallensprüchlein", op. 19 (Mörike-Chorliederbuch), Heft 2 no. 5 (1939). [chorus] [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by Franz (Friedrich) von Holstein (1826 - 1878), "Mausfallen-Sprüchlein", op. 15 (Vierzehn Lieder für zwei weibliche Stimmen (im Freien zu singen)) no. 12, published 1864. [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by Robert von Hornstein (1833 - 1890), "Mausfallensprüchlein", op. 22 (2 Gedichte v. E. Mörike) no. 2, published 1862. [alto or baritone and piano] [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by (Karl) Emil Kauffmann (1836 - 1909), "Mausfallensprüchlein", op. 13 (Vier Lieder) no. 2, published 1879 [soprano or tenor and piano], Stuttgart, Zumsteeg [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by Jean-Pierre Waelbroeck (b. 1954), "Mausfallen-Sprüchlein", 1994. [
   text not verified 
  ]
• by Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903), "Mausfallensprüchlein", 1882, from Sechs Lieder für eine Frauenstimme, no. 6. [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

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

• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , title 1: "A little mousetrap epigram", copyright ©
• ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , title unknown, rhymed paraphrase, copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , title 1: "Piccolo motto della trappola per topi", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , title 1: "Petit épigramme de la souricière", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

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

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